What has happened to the New York Mets this season has been stunning, to say the least. From being only 3.5 games out of first place from the Atlanta Braves to now being almost 20 games out, this team has certainly been a shell of itself, especially during the month of June.
We all know that pitching has been the main problem with the staters not being able to go deep into games which is obviously not a recipe for success. But the offense as well has been underachieving with players who had such high expectations that have not been having a great season. There has been one player for most of the season that has not replicated the 2022 season that led him to the National League batting title. That's right, Jeff McNeil has really had a rough go of it this season but there is still reason to believe as we approach the end of the All-Star Break, that he will turn things around in the second half.
Why NY Mets fans should still have faith in Jeff McNeil
I get that many people are very disappointed in Jeff McNeil's performance on offense this season and as they should be. As it stands today, McNeil is only hitting .259 which is respectable, but after all, he did hit .326 last season which is a big difference. But Mets fans need to relax and understand that yes, he's not been replicating his batting title season and has been slumping as of late, McNeil will be just fine.
McNeil is still getting his hits when it matters the most, and after a rough June, has shown signs of promise and is playing a whole lot better as the MLB season moves to July. In the Mets' first three July games, McNeil has gone three for 11 during those games which are not great but has looked better as we head to the dog days of Summer.
Mets fans need to understand that McNeil is not going to hit for a .300 batting average every year and he is going to be in slumps every now and again. Again, I get that his batting average was not where it was back in 2022 when he had a batting average around the .320s, but there is no doubt in my mind that McNeil will be just fine the rest of the season. It has been a very frustrating season for McNeil and the New York Mets, but it looks like things are trending upward for the Mets and for their second baseman as we start the month of July and we must have faith in Jeff McNeil for the rest of the season.