Three changes that saved Jeff McNeil’s season

On the surface, the 2020 season looks like the season we’re used to. Jeff McNeil Of the New York Mets. Only a few weeks ago, it was far from what most of us thought.

Before the opening day, at least some of us were thinking of him Possibility to hit .400.. Then the next five weeks happened, and the Mets permanent strike fighter Show some weaknesses.. But now? Our man wept during September. In fact, he’s weeping, and his season-long stats are consistent with the methods he created for 2018-2019.

Through the appearance of the 166 plates, he has significantly reduced .331 / .398 / .497 with 4 RBIs, 21 RBI and 144 wRC +. Dividing his season into two parts around September 1st shows how dramatic he has changed over the past few weeks.

So what has changed in such a short period of time? I’m glad to hear from you.

(All statistics are up to date during the match on Tuesday, unless otherwise stated.)

Strikeout plummeted

McNeil has gained a reputation for swinging frequently in the batter’s box early on, but his incredible bat-to-ball skill has allowed him to keep his strike rate low at all times. .. Entering Wednesday’s match in Philadelphia, a left-handed batter showed that he had taken things to new heights during this recent fierce streak.

The 5.4% strikeout rate he posted on the plate appearance on September 56 is easily on track for the highest month ever in this category as a big leaguer. McNeil paired this with a walking rate of 10.7%. This is also in a similar orbit.

His increase in walking rate was not necessarily significant compared to what he had done before September 1. That number was already 8.4%, the pace at which his rate improved over the season for the second consecutive year. McNeil’s finish to the regular season makes the improvement a little more noticeable. The drop in strikeouts is even greater, as it settled at 14.0% before the streak began.

In the next two weeks until October, McNeil’s walk rate will be ranked in the top 75 baseball and strikeouts will be ranked in the top 10.

He doesn’t chase the pitch very often

McNeil’s overall contact rate has not changed significantly between these two periods. But I can’t say the same about his swing rate.

Until August 31st, he offered at 58.4% of the pitch. Among the best 10 in baseball.. McNeil hasn’t changed magically Brandon NimmoHowever, that number has dropped to 51.8% since September 1st, ranking 22nd in the league.

This change did not work in the zone because the 28-year-old aggression in this situation is consistent (83.9% by 8/31, 9/1 to 83.0%). If you don’t see it in the heading above, it’s because you’ve significantly reduced the number of times you’re chasing the ball outside the strike zone.

By the end of August, McNeil had a follow-up rate of 42.6%, consistent with last year’s 41.6% mark. As the calendar flipped in September, that percentage drops to 27.9%. That leads to the following …

Key improvements to the butted ball profile

Making some changes to the profile of the struck ball does not complete the unpleasant hot streak. McNeil is certainly the same as he has been doing in the last few weeks.

One of the most notable parts of his struggle over the first five weeks of 2020 was the disappearance of his power. He’s certainly not one of the typical power hitters, but he hit 23 home runs in 2019 and soon became part of his game.

So it was confusing that he didn’t hit a home run and didn’t post a .075 ISO frosted look on the 107 plate. Power reappeared on subsequent 56 trips to the plate. This is certified by a .347 ISO with 4 homers and 5 doubles.

By this point, McNeil has done what many batters need to do: hit more flyballs.

Along with this, the quality of contact has improved dramatically.

Were any of these changes groundbreaking? Not really, and depending on the situation, it was only a matter of time before McNeil got hot again. The particular increase in production he experienced this month helped him completely erase what was previously a frustrating season.

It’s probably the best experience for him to get out of these struggles, as his development has been a general hit since his debut in July 2018. Help Mets as he approaches the official transition to a new chapter in franchise history.