Jeff McNeil began his career with the New York Mets when he was drafted in the 12th round of the 2013 draft after three seasons with Long Beach State. Jeff put up a .296/.356/.358 combined slash line with the 49ers with 0 HR over his college career. That makes it easy to understand why a future batting champion was drafted so low. Interestingly enough, another light-hitting infielder taken 2 rounds before McNeil in that amateur draft named Luis Guillorme also made it to the big leagues as a New York Met.
I was already paying close attention to the Mets' draft choices in 2013, but I don't remember reading much about McNeil coming out of that draft. College players drafted that low are generally organizational fillers rather than actual prospects. That was the case with Jeff, even though McNeil had a solid pro debut in 2013 in rookie ball with Kingsport — a team and league that were both victims of MLB's eventual contraction of the minors. First-round pick Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario were much more heralded teammates with Jeff on that club.
Jeff McNeil played at 2 levels the following season, 2014. At Low-A Savannah and High-A St. Lucie. Jeff slashed a combined .292/.367/.394, still displaying little power but managing 3 HR. Then, in 2015, McNeil spent most of the season in St. Lucie, again showing a solid hitting tool but little power (.312/.373/.383). He was sent to the Arizona Fall League after the season, where he did not impress (.230/.309/.246). I found a scouting report on Jeff McNeil from 2015 on Baseball Prospectus that was hardly bullish on his future:
McNeil's profile is extremely limited by his complete lack of power and strength and his average defensive abilities, which make second base his best fit. He could play short stop or third base in short stints, giving him a potential future as a utility player, but he would be exposed at either position if he played their for an extended period of time.
Offensively, McNeil does have plus bat-to-ball skills which lead to high contact rates and the ability to spray the ball to all fields when he stays through the hitting zone. His hit tool plays down slightly, however, despite his barrel control because his lack of strength and authority in his swing limits the exit velocity on even those balls that are well-struck.
At best, McNeil can hope to carve out a roll as a utility/bench option, which will be possible due to being left-handed and not striking out much. He's not likely, however, to ever be an everyday player, as his flaws would be exposed with regular playing time.
The above report was typical of what I heard about McNeil back then. It's a remarkable tribute to Jeff's talent and terrific work ethic that he added enough power to complement his bat-to-ball skills to make himself into a very productive hitter and a solid defender at both second base and in the outfield. While the scouting report quoted above obviously didn't age that well, the author was right in line with the general consensus on Jeff McNeil. Few foresaw what was to come.
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Interesting report
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