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In case you have not noticed, Jeff McNeil fell in the race for the National League batting title. However, as his batting average has dropped, his power is on the rise.
On July 30, McNeil led the title heat with an average of .335. Dodgers OF Cody Bellinger was second, with only one percentage point of flight.
However, on Wednesday, McNeil strikes .324, with Anthony Rendon Nationals leading the league with an average of .338.
In other words, in the current state of things, McNeil has only 25 shots to make before beating .338. This means that to keep pace with Rendon 's current pace, McNeil must beat a little over .400 by the end of the season.
McNeil is the only one to stretch over several weeks. 400 were the first weeks of the season. He had hit a regular average of .330 from that point thanks to his recent deposit, which began in early August.
But if the slight drop in the batting average results in more power (as it has), McNeil and the Mets could be better off in the long run.
"He is standing upright, probably to get more sticks into the area so he can drive further to the ball," the coach said. "It sounds like what you remember maybe done with Daniel Murphy in 2015. "
McNeil averaged a shot on at least 37 in the first 88 games of the season. Since then, in just 27 games, he has averaged a home run of 11 at bat.
It is also worth noting that in the 10 games he has participated in since he missed the match with a sore hamstring, McNeil got 11 hits out of 41. Of course he also hit three homers , two doubles, and nine in this period.
During the second run Monday, McNeil hit a ground player, stopped running halfway through the first goal knowing he would be missing, then slammed his helmet to the floor, frustrated. It was his 15th straight game without strikes, which was the longest drought of his short career.
"C is a fiery competitor", manager Mickey Callaway said later. "He wants to be successful every time."
Fortunately, McNeil ended this sequence later in the game by hitting a two-inning scorer against the Nationals pitcher. Joe Ross, which triggered a decisive rally en route to a victory.
"I think he was short of bats," J.D. Davis joked after the match. "He was hitting his bat too often when he came out, so I think it was a matter of time before he found a good one."
The McNeil Strike Coach, Chile Davis, has recently made a similar comment, according to Newsday.
"You just have to deal with it and stay focused," Davis said. "When I was a second-year major league player, I scored 4-for-94. It was tough – I do not think he'll ever see that – he's too good a hitter. "
The coach with whom I spoke made a similar comment.
"He is a real hitter and he proved that he was smart enough to finally stop thinking of himself as a bat," he said. "He's going to get out of it, no question, the bullets will fall, he'll feel it sinking back into his body and from there, his natural ability will make him go from there. say because I've seen it a million times. "
Regarding the fall of the ball, I suppose the striking coach refers to McNeil's .239 average bale average (BABIP) – that is, he strikes directly on the pitch. the opposing team. He had a .380 BABIP in his first 89 games of the season, while still leading the National League in strikes.
In recent games, McNeil seems to be more nervous in the box than he was when he was riding earlier in the season. These days, he moves his bat even more and moves his feet. He seems to guess and, as mentioned above, stand higher before launch.
In other words, despite his success early in the season, he now tinkers his momentum and his approach, some of which may aim to increase the power (and it works). But it can also be a natural response to how pitchers have adapted to it at a time when the strength of his hamstring is probably in the back of his mind.
According to Davis, he asked McNeil to use the more powerful and powerful trait to deal with throwers who have less movement on their fastballs. However, when facing a thrower with more downward motion, McNeil is advised to bend over and drive harder at the knees.
This is great news, even if it could mean that McNeil is failing to become the batting champion this year.
However, we are likely to see McNeil become a better batter because of the recent "crisis".
The best hitters of the last 30 years have all used multiple swings for different situations against different types of pitchers. Tony Gwynn, Paul Molitor, Wade Boggs and Harold Baines are the first to come to mind.
As a result, the aforementioned names have all become legendary for having attacked early in the count and thrown the ball on a blade of grass on all sides of the field, while forcing them to systematically land between players and players exteriors. At the same time, everyone can change their grip or the positioning of their feet, generate more weight and tear a home run or a hopper against the wall.
"The ultimate goal is that (McNeil) has the knack to get into baseball," added his coach.
In both cases, even with its recent average decline, McNeil started Wednesday's game with a lead of 219 and 39 doubles in 2019, with an approximate average of .325 with a .390 OBP and .530 SLG while continuing in the left field, third base or second base.
McNeil is revealed to be a legitimate weapon, a versatile hitter and a daily threat, who, at some point in his career, will win a batting title. It may or may not happen this season, but it will be a day.
Matthew Cerrone (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Contact) is the main author of MetsBlog.com, which he created in 2003. He also hosts the podcast MetsBlog, which you can subscribe here. His new book, The Bucket List of New York Mets fans details 44 things every Mets fan should experience in their lifetime. To check it, click here!
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