Spotlight Is On

By Mike Rifkin

When you’re an athlete in New York the spotlight is always on. It was a horrendous opening series for the New York Mets, getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field. But for one player in particular might have had the worst weekend. 

On Friday Brewers First baseman Rhys Hoskins slid hard into second base and Jeff McNeil was very unhappy. This caused the benches to clear and even though nothing of importance occurred, it was the beginning of two different weekends. Hoskins hit a homerun and drove in four runs, while McNeil had one hit in 11 at bats. McNeil is two seasons removed from winning the Batting Title, but this season might be very important for the second basemen. 

Yes, Pete Alonso is in his free agency season, Starling Marte needs a bounce back after an injury riddled 2023, Brett Baty needs to show he belongs in the big leagues, but nobody has more pressure on them in my opinion than McNeil. 

McNeil is under contract until 2026 (there’s a club option for 2027). But for McNeil it’s not about the money he makes, it’s about what’s coming through the pipeline. Luis Angel Acuna (acquired for Max Scherzer)  is at Triple A Syracuse and Jett Williams (2022 first round pick) is at Double A Binghamton. Both are Shortstops, but that position is locked down for now with Francisco Lindor. Yes,  Williams and Acuna can both play other positions, but might be more comfortable at second base. Then there’s Ronny Mauricio, who spent some time with the Mets last season. Mauricio had two homers, nine RBI and seven stolen bases with a slash line of .248/..296/.643. Mauricio tore his ACL playing Winter ball, so one has to wonder if he didn’t would he be in the everyday lineup this season?  Like Williams and Acuna, Mauricio can also play other positions, but Mets President David Stearns has emphasized the team getting younger and more athletic. 

I felt the 2023 Mets never recovered from the sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves in September of 2022. But if 2024 is anything like 2023, there will be changes made to the roster, and I believe one guy in peril this season is Jeff McNeil, so the spotlight is on.