Ahh, Jeff McNeil....
As Brodie-Wan Kenobe builds his first Mets roster, hoping to take us victoriously through the Star Wars of 2019, one issue he must wrestle with is:
Will Jeff McNeil's career path follow Brandon Nimmo's?
Or:
Will Jeff's career path follow that of Ruben Tejada?
We all have to smile like Brandon Nimmo when we think of Nimmo's progress last year - as in .263/.404/.483.
(Wow, smiling like that HURTS if you are not used to it!)
On the other hand, Ruben Tejada, on this site, has often became the pinata for Mets ineptitude over the years in player choices. He has, at times and with considerable frequency, been excoriated, vilified, and trodden under foot, trounced and flounced.
What many forget is that at the very young for baseball age of 21 and 22, Ruben hit a fine .284 and .289 with the Mets.
I for one was impressed. Very few major leaguers can say they hit that high in the majors at that young age.
Heck, most of them didn't even GET to the majors by that age.
Think about star prospect Andres Gimenez, who next season will play as a 20 year old in the minors. If someone told you that in 2020, at the age of 21, Gimenez would hit .284 (like Ruben did at age 21), you'd gladly take it, wouldn't you?
Heck, John Sickels of Minor League Ball in January 2010 had Ruben as the Mets' 10th best prospect, after Tejada's 2009 in AA (at age 19) when he went .289/.351/.381 with 16 of 19 in steals! After a brief Mets debut at age 20, there came along that fine .284 at age 21.
Think about star prospect Andres Gimenez, who next season will play as a 20 year old in the minors. If someone told you that in 2020, at the age of 21, Gimenez would hit .284 (like Ruben did at age 21), you'd gladly take it, wouldn't you?
Heck, John Sickels of Minor League Ball in January 2010 had Ruben as the Mets' 10th best prospect, after Tejada's 2009 in AA (at age 19) when he went .289/.351/.381 with 16 of 19 in steals! After a brief Mets debut at age 20, there came along that fine .284 at age 21.
So Tejada started out exceeding all expectations in his age 21 and 22 MLB seasons.
But the following year? Ruben plunged to .202.
The plunge was so steep, air masks popped out.
And that .202 at age 23 was more Ruben's "post-22 years-of-age" norm, with Tejada producing only one more decent season, at .261 at age 25. So I guess he peaked at age 22, and then the aging process kicked in.
The last handful of years, in fact, he has not been battling for a starting job in the majors - he has been battling for ANY job in the majors.
Now, back to Jeff McNeil.
Jeff McNeil hit a stellar .329/.381/.471 in 60 games 2018.
But in 2019, will he prove, like Brandon Nimmo, that he is no fluke?
Or does McNeil experience the excruciating Tejada Swoon?
I bet it's Door # 1, Monty - Jeff will do great.
I believed in him at this time last year, and even more so now. He's got much more power than Ruben. He is much more versatile than Ruben. Faster, too.
And, let's face the key and incontrovertible fact:
One is a Squirrel, one is not.
One is a Squirrel, one is not.
Jeff is little like Ruben, and much more like Nimmo, but with half the strikeouts of Nimmo (and, yes, fewer walks).
SO:
Brodie has to figure out if Jeff McNeil is Tejada II.
Or what I think: Nimmo II. Or even Ben Zobrist II.
Or what I think: Nimmo II. Or even Ben Zobrist II.
Brodie's getting paid big bucks to figure that out, not me.
He knows he's got Star Wars to fight.
If he gets it wrong, heck, he could lose the entire Galaxy.
I just think that Jeff McNeil is Brodie-Wan's Luke Skywalker.
But who cares what I think - what do you think?
But who cares what I think - what do you think?
12 comments:
I think only a complete moron would have kept trotting Tejada out there day after day when it was clear the man could not hit, could not run and had no power, yet kept Wilmer Flores glued to the bench. Oh wait....
Reese got an old scab pulled! OUCH! That hurts!
I 100% agree, though...once Ruben floundered at age of 23, the Ruben experiment should have been quickly cancelled and Wilmer awarded a lot more ABs.
On the other hand, never misunderestimate Jeff McNeil.
I wanted to post a comment posted in the last week from a Macks Mets reader re: McNeil - I agree with his logic and he, like I, think Jeff is a keeper:
Anonymous said...
On McNeil and Things Apparent (or not)
I completely disagree with the notion of trading Jeff McNeil. Here's why actually...
Because the guy isn't just a good hitter with good instincts at the plate, but instead Jeff McNeil does easily batting what Chiefs' QB Pat Mahomes does easily throwing a football, and that is be amazing.
You simply cannot find these type of athletes anywhere or everyday. It does not matter that he could fetch more right now at the top of his MLB game, because he isn't even there yet at his peak in MLB. The power game that he exhibited in MiLB has not even arrived yet. It will. Be patient just a little bit longer.
You pretty much have to have played some serious baseball growing up, to fully appreciate players like Jeff McNeil. His batting ability is actually almost off the dang charts. He can drive the ball, but also literally hit the ball (through placement) to all fields. Not too many other MLB players can do that as easily as Jeff can.
If you put Jeff in a ST2019 competition with the veteran players here right now at either first, second, third base, or left field, he just might win that position. It's entirely possible people.
I don't care what anyone says, Jeff McNeil is a keeper. I have seen it with my own two eyes this kid's talent.
There's just no comparison between McNeil and Tejada. Why even try to make one?
Tejada wasn't going to be anything more than a back up SS with little power and no offensive or defensive carrying tools, unless his game changed on so many fronts. That the Mets tried to use him as starter, didn't change that path and I don't think most fans were fooled into thinking what we saw of Tejada indicated legit starting SS.
The same look at McNeil reveals far more talent at the plate and overall athleticism...bona fide athleticism even after losing some speed due to injuries. McNeil's a keeper with upside and legit starting player or based on team needs - a very frequently utilized utility player who often plays and definitely could/should start.
LongTimeFan1
I agree with what u outline - but it is nice to refute those who feel McNeil was a flash in the pan, and that we needed veterans to solidify our infield.
Tejada is a case to support their viewpoint. I just think their case is dead wrong.
I personally think that if McNeil played daily at 2B, he might have made the All Star team.
I see his stock rising, like Nimmo's, not Tejada-swooning. Hence this article. Sometimes the ridiculous helps us see what is not so ridiculous.
To Anonymous -
You make excellent point about McNeil - his superb mental make which guides his smarts and big hand-eye coordination able to do things many players in today's game do not - and can not.
Our new hitting coach, Chili Davis, says he wants players to adjust their plate appearance to rise to the circumstance....to change swings. So what we may indeed have in C. Davis is a hitting coach determined to produce more Jeff McNeils at the plate with or without long balls. It's all about approach and mentality - and I surmise also fine tuning mechanics where needed with the goal of helping/challenging players be their best for the team.
Thomas Brennan -
I hear what you're saying trying to knock some sense into people apt to compare apples and oranges - Tejada vs. McNeil.
However, those folks using a false equivalency are likely those relying on stats rather than eyeballs understanding skills, abilities, swing, natural talent, mental make up, approach, game instincts, smarts, etc. Technology such as Statcast can in some ways bridge this gap between old school eyeballs vs. those overly relying on SABER.
The sad part about these comments from the anonymous guy is that he leaves these on posts that are 3-5 days old and no one ever gets to read them.
I have asked him to post the responses on the day the posts are written but he doesn't.
I have also asked to write here but he never responded to that also.
Lastly, I can't reach him on telephone or social media because... he is a ghost.
LongTimeFan1, you are 100% correct, stats can not fully show the true worth of a player, nor the player's future trajectory. Sometimes, first hand viewing, as old fashioned as it is, is the best tool.
Brodie did a good job of adding depth to the bench and the bullpen
Tejada did have good numbers, but here the caveat: Tejada didn’t work. If you remember, he got chubby. Further, Tejada was criticized by another middle infielder (Jose Reyes on Toronto?) for not working at his craft. He had a nice start, but then he worked harder at being Collins’ pet than on his own game.
TexasGusCC, that is a bullseye. A real puzzler. Some guys have the fire, some don't.
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