Mets’ McNeil likely to be fixture at 3B
The top three Mets in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) were all the same guy, an All-Star in 2019 who made his way around the field. Jeff McNeil, by the halfway point of the 2019 season, led the Mets in DRS at third base, left field and right field. By season’s end, he led the team in overall DRS (5), and no other position player (in terms of innings played) was even close.
McNeil, in his first full year in the big leagues, emerged as a superutility difference maker. He showed that no matter where he’s parked, he can make tough defensive plays and is comfortable doing it. Even so, it was evident that McNeil excelled when he vacuumed grounders in the infield — the territory for which he was drafted.
If everything goes to plan, fans can expect McNeil to patrol third base full-time in 2020.
“I think I’ll be playing a lot of third,” McNeil said on Saturday at the team’s inaugural FanFest. When asked if he anticipates playing more at third base than any other position, McNeil said “I would imagine so.”
The majority of McNeil’s appearances came in left field last season due in part to Brandon Nimmo’s near-season-long absence and Todd Frazier’s natural ability to take over at third base. McNeil filled in admirably, replacing Nimmo as leadoff hitter and fearlessly diving and leaping for fly balls in 61 and 39 games as a left fielder and right fielder, respectively.
Impressively, McNeil made his first All-Star team as an outfielder, letting his first-half .917 OPS and .349/.409/.509 slashline do the talking. The 2020 season presents another opportunity for McNeil to make his second All-Star team as a third baseman, although going up against some of the National League’s best in Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant will prove a bigger challenge.
With Frazier’s departure to the Texas Rangers and Nimmo expected to be fully healthy after recovering from a bulging disc in his neck, McNeil is slated for the bulk of his 2020 starts to occur at the hot corner. That spells good news for ground-ball pitchers Marcus Stroman, Rick Porcello and even Noah Syndergaard, who can expect to have a sharper defense playing behind them with McNeil in the fold.
McNeil said he’s fully recovered from the wrist injury he sustained after getting hit by a pitch in the last week of the regular season. The 27-year-old had surgery in early October and his rehab went according to plan.
“I’ve gone through my normal offseason routine,” McNeil said. “The wrist was bugging me up until December. It was a good twomonth rehab, then back to a normal offseason.”
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen mentioned during the GM Meetings
that both Jed Lowrie and J.D. Davis are alternates at the hot corner, should McNeil shift to the outfield again. Davis has some work to do after finishing with a -9 DRS across 30 games at third base and Lowrie is still somewhat of an unknown after missing the 2019 season with a smattering of lowerbody injuries.
Lowrie, a 12-year big-league veteran, took just seven at-bats last season and they all were pinch-hit appearances. Van Wagenen and the Mets connected with Lowrie a couple of weeks ago and the GM indicated the 35-year-old is not yet 100% recovered from his injuryridden season.
“We were pleased with [Lowrie’s] progress on where he’s at physically,” Van Wagenen said on Wednesday. “We did some testing to measure his strengths and he’s progressing to the point where we’re optimistic of having him participate in a meaningful way in spring training games.”
Lowrie’s still-uncertain playing time promises more reps for McNeil at third base next season. If McNeil can avoid the injury bug and match his offensive output, he should again be a contender for the batting title. His batting average (.318) was sixth-best in the Majors in 2019, behind only Tim Anderson (.335), Christian Yelich (.329), Ketel Marte (.329), DJ LeMahieu (.327) and Anthony Rendon (.319).
McNeil’s ability to slot into any field position is an added advantage for the Mets. But making third base his home will create a dependable chemistry in the infield.