Jeff McNeil’s Offensive Struggles Continue

Suffering from their third consecutive defeat at the hands of the Phillies, the Mets are tumbling further and further, now residing four games below the .500 mark.

With May already in full swing, the team needs a spark to reignite its momentum.

Enter Jeff McNeil, the former all-star and batting champion whose recent performance has left much to be desired. Despite a 1-for-4 effort at the plate in last night’s game, McNeil’s batting average languishes at a disappointing .236, accompanied by a lackluster .626 OPS.

Last night’s 10-5 loss only compounded the Mets’ woes, highlighting the urgency of McNeil’s rediscovery of form. 

Just two years removed from a stellar 2022 campaign, during which he claimed the batting crown with a remarkable .326 average, McNeil’s decline is felt team-wide. His contributions were pivotal as the Mets clinched 103 victories, securing a playoff berth and placing second in the NL East.

However, the McNeil of yesteryears seems to have vanished into thin air. He finished last season with just a .711 OPS, down over 100 points from his previous year. Now, 144 at-bats into the current season, McNeil’s offensive output is even worse. 

Thus far in 2024, his metrics hover in the bottom 10% across various categories such as average exit velocity, bat speed, barrel percentage, and hard-hit percentage. His whiff percentage and strikeout percentage are still among the best, which has been a common theme throughout his career, but McNeil cannot seem to string together hits to the whole field as he has done in successful past campaigns.

April hinted at a potential resurgence from the 32-year-old, with his batting average shooting up to within shouting distance of the .300 mark (.267 to be exact, so perhaps yelling distance?), and his OPS climbing into the mid-.700s. 

However, the dawn of May dashed hopes of a sustained turnaround. The utility man’s batting average plummeted to a dismal .213 for the month thus far, leaving fans disillusioned. While power hasn’t been part of McNeil’s game since he hit 23 home runs in 2019, his isolated slugging this year is at a career-worst .076, which ranks 156th out of 166 qualified hitters this season. The last Mets hitter to finish a season with an isolated slugging under .100 was Luis Castillo back in 2009. 

As the Mets navigate through the 2024 season, it seems McNeil stands at a crossroads. Signed to a multi-year extension, the team’s fortunes may partially hinge upon his ability to recapture the essence of his past performances. Plus, his positional flexibility within the field makes McNeil a useful piece for the team, even with his struggling bat. He should face no problem with plate appearances as he attempts to break his slump, especially with the departure of Joey Wendle, who was DFA’d before Wednesday’s game. 

The Mets are hoping the flying squirrel finds his groove!

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