1 Mets starting lineup change fans didn’t expect they’d want

Nobody is ready to kick Jose Iglesias to the curb. However, with Jeff McNeil back from the IL and not doing much more than playing cheerleader, fans are ready to see the 2022 NL Batting Champion back in the New York Mets starting lineup.

Iglesias has had his moments this postseason. Clutch hitting has been his modus operandi throughout his Mets tenure. Involved in multiple rallies, the downswing of his season is more about the accumulation of several bad at-bats.

Only 8 for 36 with nothing but singles and an error for the gifted defender, it might be time to see what McNeil can offer against a Los Angeles Dodgers team built for lefties to feast on.

The only reason to not start Jeff McNeil against the Dodgers is a lame one

If there’s one reason why McNeil hasn’t been in the Mets starting lineup yet it’s because his presence on the bench gives them a lefty who can be summoned from the dugout for a big spot. It’s kind of like waiting to use your closer for the ninth inning when you’re up against the meat of the batting order in the seventh and could really use him then. The Mets have been aggressive with Edwin Diaz this postseason. In two games with McNeil, they’ve been a little softer.

There aren’t any truly obvious situations when McNeil could even pinch hit. He’d obviously be saved to come in to replace a right handed hitter. This is a ball club that in the regular season included many players with surprisingly opposite splits. Tyrone Taylor’s numbers against righties and lefties were close enough and for a long time much better versus righties. Lifting Francisco Alvarez in favor of McNeil in a big spot could work, but the Mets have shown a tendency to prefer him behind the plate when Diaz is on the mound.

The Dodgers have a single lefty on their entire pitching staff. The Mets lineup is right-handed heavy with Brandon Nimmo in it regardless of the handedness of the pitcher. Jesse Winker has been a permanent fixture as the DH with J.D. Martinez watching (and maybe coaching) from the sidelines.

In theory, McNeil makes sense as a weapon to use off the bench. What works better is actually utilizing him for 4 or 5 plate appearances when he is only ever guaranteed to face a lefty no more than once. Use him before those plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League to prepare him for action are wasted.