Jeff McNeil’s simplistic approach sparking turnaround

QUEENS, NY — For as resume-boosting as his batting title was in 2022, Jeff McNeil had been having issues shaking off the aftereffects.

Making his name through the New York Mets organization as an aggressive, grip-it-and-rip-it type of hitter, the left-hander found himself more often than not trying to be too cute at the plate. And it began showing up negatively in the box score.

His batting dropped 56 points from .326 to .270 in 2023. In the first half of 2024, it dwindled to .216 at the All-Star break.

“Sometimes, in big situations, I tried to guide the ball out there, and that’s where I tend to get in a little bit of trouble,” McNeil said. “…The first half of last year was not who I am. It was tough, it was frustrating, but I was able to make adjustments.”

He abandoned that conservative approach and got back to basics: “Getting the right pitches and trying to hit it hard. I’m not trying to guide the ball out there.”

It has resulted in the version of McNeil who batted .307 in his first five seasons.

Since the second half of last season (77 games), the 33-year-old is batting .278, sparked by a red-hot streak of late. In his last 11 games, not only is McNeil batting .341, but his power has taken a significant upturn with four home runs. He had just two in his first 25 games of the season, which got a late start after dealing with an oblique injury.

“He’s driving baseballs, using the whole field,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Just dictating at-bats and putting swings with conviction. The past week, he’s done that. He’s putting himself in a really good position to hit. Not only to hit, but to do damage. We know the bat-to-ball skills are off the charts.”

The aggressive approach was never more evident than on Tuesday night at Citi Field, when he took the first pitch he saw from Washington Nationals reliever Cole Harvey and ripped a walk-off, game-winning double to right field in the bottom of the 10th inning to deliver the Mets their fourth straight win.

“It’s pretty hard to hit for average in this league,” McNeil began. “Pitchers are so good and so tough that when you get a good pitch, you gotta do some damage on it. That’s what I’ve been trying to do lately, and it’s been paying off… You want to be who you are. I feel like this is who I am.”