3 Mets players who fell short of expectations in the first 81 games, 2 who exceeded them

3) NY Mets infielder Jeff McNeil has fallen short of expectations through the 1st 81 games of the 2023 season

I wish I knew what was going on with Jeff McNeil, but the reigning NL batting champion has looked completely lost offensively for much of the season.

McNeil is slashing .255/.332/.325 on the season with three home runs and 21 RBI. His season actually got off to a decent start as he hit .298 with an .831 OPS through the month of April and he even hit .288 through May despite a lack of extra-base hit production, but June has been one of, if not the worst month of McNeil's career.

McNeil is hitting .182 in the month of June with one home run and five RBI. He's been even worse to finish the month, as he has two hits in his last 28 at-bats with no walks. More alarmingly, he's struck out nine times in this eight-game funk.

The veteran infielder has never been a huge home run hitter, but he's always had the ability to hit for extra bases. He hit just nine home runs last season but racked up 39 doubles and a triple. This season, through 81 games, he has just eight doubles and one triple.

McNeil's average is 71 points lower than his 2022 total, and his OPS is 179 points lower. That is, staggering to say the least.

McNeil's falloff hasn't been as widely discussed as a player like Francisco Lindor, mainly because his batting average is somewhat respectable at .255, but it's been extremely detrimental to this team.