Jeff McNeil's turnaround is encouraging but comes too late as Mets clinch losing season
PHILADELPHIA — Jeff McNeil is his own harshest critic. After losses or games without a hit, he can be seen slouched in front of his locker in the clubhouse, head drawn down and silent.
That drive for results had to make the 2023 season that much harder on McNeil, who went from the top of the league with the National League batting title to see his average drop by 80 points from last season's number to the middle of July this season when it slipped to .246.
After early-season struggles, McNeil is finally starting to produce in the way the Mets had hoped when they signed the utility man to a four-year, $50 million contract in the offseason. The 31-year-old collected a three-hit game, including a triple, double, two runs and an RBI, on Friday night against the Phillies.
It was McNeil's fourth three-hit game in the month of September, helping him to raise his average to .271 — his highest mark since June 20.
"I feel good. I’m seeing the ball well. Hits are starting to fall, which is always nice," McNeil said. "I didn’t have the year I really wanted to, especially the middle of the season was not where I wanted to be. It was nice to see the work I put in and be able to turn it around."
McNeil's performance went in vain as the Mets dropped a 5-4 result to their NL East rivals and slipped to 71-82 — clinching their fifth losing season in their last seven — on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
"I think nobody really thought this was where we were going to be at this point of the year," McNeil said. "Definitely disappointment this year, but we’re still coming in every single day, (playing) hard."
Jeff McNeil shaking the tough luck
McNeil's first hit of the night was representative of the type of production the Mets had come to expect in 2022.
He took an outside fastball and pushed it inside the left-field line for a double. In his second at-bat, McNeil did the opposite, pulling a triple down the right-field line.
"I’m always that guy that puts the ball in play so I do rely on some batting average on balls in play and that kind of stuff, and I think it was pretty low early in the year," McNeil said. "I think it’s back up where it’s kind of been for my career."
After batting .308 with a .771 OPS in the month of August, McNeil has kept that production going in September. So far this month, he is 23-for-75 (.307) with 13 runs, seven RBI, two triples and three doubles. He has also collected four home runs, nearly half of his total of 10 across the entire 2023.
Last season, McNeil had a .353 BABIP, while that figure has slipped to .286 in 2023. Despite that disparity, McNeil has been able to elevate his batting average 19 points over the last two months.
"He led the planet in batting average last year. It doesn’t surprise anybody," McNeil said. "Very quietly, he’s worked his way up and had a big hit for us — a lot of them to keep us in that game. We just couldn’t get that last one there."
Mark Vientos' power surge continues
Mark Vientos might as well have hit the ball off his shoelaces.
In the top of the sixth inning with the Mets trailing by one run, the Mets designated hitter fell behind in a 1-2 count against Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez. The next pitch - a curveball - looped over the plate a mere inches from the dirt, but Vientos extended down to make contact.
The ball launched out over the left-field wall for Vientos' eighth home run of the season to tie the game.
"It was breaking ball out of the plate a little bit and he’s strong," Showalter said. "Everybody talks about the metrics of people hitting baseballs and everything. That’s part of it. It’s also about the finished product.
"I know Mark, he wants to do that every time up. It’s a learning process, but you can see why he has done some of the things behind him in the minor leagues that makes people think he could do some good things for us."
With 10 games left in the 2023 season, the Mets are beginning to clearly see the potential that Vientos and the other young players in the organization are bringing to the table. It was Vientos' third home run in seven plate appearances.
In the month of September, while seeing some of his first regular playing time, Vientos is 16-for-55 (.291) with four home runs, eight RBI and nine runs.
Fellow rookie Brett Baty, who snapped a monthslong major-league home run drought that dated back to July 19 in Wednesday's win over the Marlins, added an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Jeff McNeil encouraged by late turnaround, wishes it came sooner
