PHILADELPHIA — Jeff McNeil has managed to take a season that had the potential to rival the worst of his career and turn it into something less odious.
The Mets utilityman entered Friday with numbers since Aug. 1 more in line with last season, when he led MLB in hitting. Over those 48 games McNeil owned a .307/.346/.484 slash line with seven homers and 20 RBIs.
“Hits are starting to fall which is nice,” McNeil said before going 1-for-4 with a walk during the Mets’ 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Phillies on Friday night at Citizen Bank Park. “I didn’t have the year I really wanted to, especially in the middle of the season. It’s not where I wanted to be, so it was nice to see the work I put in and I was able to turn it around.”
McNeil’s latest big contribution was a three-hit performance Thursday, including a double and triple, that boosted his OPS for the season to .716 — the highest it had been since early June.
In addition to hitting for a higher average in the second half (.293 entering Friday compared to .253 in the first half), McNeil was hitting the ball with more authority, as evidenced by his .450 slugging percentage in the second half through Thursday.
That number was an anemic .328 in the first half.
“The biggest thing is he’s able to keep his hands higher,” Mets hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said. “That was the biggest thing he’s been battling all year. His hands were sliding underneath and there’s an element of it and things are falling. He’s at his best when he’s hitting line drives, but for him to have his real high numbers, the ground balls need to go through too.
“He’s run into some power lately, but that is not his game. It’s more about him keeping his hands high, swinging at the right pitches, his body feeling good and trying to put line drives out there.”
McNeil enjoyed plenty of luck last season, when he hit .324 to lead the major leagues, as evidenced by his .353 batting average for balls in play (BABIP) in 2022.
McNeil’s BABIP in the first half this season was .282 and has risen to .300 in the second half.
“I think I am taking some better swings and hitting the ball where they are not,” McNeil said. “I think that’s what needs to happen for me to have success. I need to hit the ball. I do rely on batting average on balls in play and I think I was pretty low early in the year and I think it’s back up where it has been for my career.”
It has been a welcome sign for the Mets, who last winter signed McNeil to a four-year contract extension worth $50 million.
McNeil has moved to the outfield on an almost full-time basis in recent weeks, allowing Ronny Mauricio to play second base.
Though the Mets’ season fizzled early, McNeil is glad he could contribute in the second half.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I wasn’t feeling myself and it’s not where I want to be. I am happy I was able to turn it around, but it was a little late. I definitely wanted to help this team.”
As for the team’s overall plight — the Mets are guaranteed to finish with a losing record — McNeil added: “It sucks. I think nobody here thought this was where we were going to be at this point of the year. Definitely a disappointment this year, but we’re still going to come every day and play hard.”