2024 Mets Report Card: Jeff McNeil, 2B
With the 2024 season now officially in the books for the New York Mets, it is time to get out the report cards and begin our assessments of every single player on the roster.
We begin our 2024 Mets Report Card feature by taking a deep dive into Jeff McNeil’s season…
Jeff McNeil, 2B
Player Data: 32 (04/08/1992), B/T: L/R
Primary Stats: 129 G, 472 PA, 424 AB, .238/.308/.384/.692, 101 H, 12 HR, 44 RBI, 26 2B
Advanced Stats: 97 wRC+, 14.4% K%, 7.4% BB%, .256 BABIP, .289 xwOBA, 1.3 fWAR
2024 Salary: $10.25 million
GRADE: C-
2024 Review
The 2024 season was a mixed bag, to say the least for McNeil. As the Mets struggled to begin the year, so did he, and in a big way. He hit .247/.330/.340/.671 with one home run, six doubles and seven RBIs in the opening month of the season. His batting average went on to regress in May, and he slashed just .194/.215/.258/.474 in the month of June as his play completely fell off a cliff. The veteran’s considerable struggles at the plate, coupled with the emergence of Jose Iglesias at second base, had many questioning McNeil’s future with the team. Granted, there were still some Gold Glove-caliber plays in the field, but on the flip side, the ugly far outweighed the good in the first half of the season.
However, McNeil began to get the train back on the tracks after the All-Star break. He enjoyed his most productive month of the entire season in July, hitting .289/.322/.566/.889 with five homers, eight doubles, four walks and 17 RBIs while the Mets went 17-10 over that stretch. McNeil continued to rake in August as the Mets continued to perform like the best team in baseball over a prolonged period of time. He wasn’t July levels of great, but he was still productive with seven doubles, three home runs, nine walks and seven RBIs. Overall, McNeil hit .289/.376/.547/.923 with 37 hits, 12 doubles, seven home runs, 13 walks, and 20 RBIs during the season half of the year.
Unfortunately, just as McNeil was beginning to really hit his stride and become a meaningful contributor to this team, an injury struck. The second baseman fractured his wrist on a hit-by-pitch on Sept. 6, forcing him to miss the rest of the regular season as a result. McNeil was also out for the National League Wild Card series against the Milwaukee Brewers and the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. He did return for the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers and drove in two runs thanks to two sacrifice flys in a crucial Game 5 win. In all, McNeil went 2-for-11 with three RBIs in five postseason games.
Overall, 2024 will not go down as a vintage year for McNeil. He endured the worst stretch of his career before injury really slowed down his resurgence. While there were flashes of the 2022 McNeil down the stretch, he will be 33-years-old for the majority of the 2025 season. As such, there are serious question marks over the level of production New York could get from him next year.
2025 Overview
McNeil is under contract with the Mets through the 2027 season having previously signed a four-year extension. He will earn $15,750,000 in 2025.
With the Mets expected to be major players this coming offseason, it is fair to argue that McNeil’s role on this roster moving forward isn’t exactly set in stone. The front office will have the financial flexibility to address several needs, as well as be able to make a potential run at Juan Soto. Plus, Luisangel Acuña could be shifted over to second base so that he receives the playing time he needs to develop. It could make sense to move forward with a platoon of Acuña and Jose Iglesias at second base. As such, McNeil would then become expendable. Of course, considering he’s owed a good chunk of money over the next three years, McNeil could be hard to move, especially when you consider his struggles over the past couple of years.
It is feasible to suggest that McNeil could be used as part of a trade to acquire more starting pitching. After all, president of baseball operations David Stearns has already made it clear that acquiring another starter will be a priority this winter. There is also a chance the Mets stick with McNeil and hope his play after the All-Star break carries over. But, if his struggles from the first half of 2024 return and persist, then a parting of the ways could become more of a reality.
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