1. Early life
McNeil grew up in Nipomo, California, where he attended Nipomo High School. His athletic endeavors during childhood included baseball, basketball, and golf.
1.1. High school and college
During his high school years, McNeil participated in various sports, playing three seasons of high school basketball, where he averaged 17 points per game in his senior year. He initially focused on a potential career in golf until a disappointing performance at the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship prompted him to shift his primary focus to baseball. Due to the overlap of high school golf and baseball seasons in the spring, he did not play high school baseball until his senior year. Despite this, his strong performance in summer baseball earned him a scholarship offer to play college baseball at Cal State Northridge. In his senior year of high school, he batted .446.
After the coach at Cal State Northridge left, McNeil changed his commitment to Long Beach State. In 2012, he gained further experience playing collegiate summer baseball for the Brewster Whitecaps in the renowned Cape Cod Baseball League. As a junior in 2013, McNeil achieved a batting average of .348 with only 11 strikeouts in 221 at bats, which earned him a spot on the All-Big West first team.
2. Professional career
McNeil's professional baseball journey began in 2013 when he was drafted by the New York Mets. He steadily advanced through the minor league system before making his Major League debut, where he quickly became known for his distinctive hitting style and versatility.
2.1. Minor leagues
The New York Mets selected McNeil in the 12th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. Following his signing, he made his professional debut that summer with the Kingsport Mets, batting .329 in 47 games. In 2014, he played for the Savannah Sand Gnats and St. Lucie Mets, where he hit .292 with three home runs, 51 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases across 117 games. The 2015 season saw him play for St. Lucie and the Binghamton Mets, maintaining a slash line of .308/.369/.377 with one home run, 40 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 123 games. After the 2015 season, he further developed his skills in the Arizona Fall League.
In 2016, McNeil adopted an unorthodox knobless bat provided by Mets minor league hitting coordinator Lamar Johnson. He subsequently began using knobless bats exclusively. His 2016 and 2017 seasons were significantly impacted by numerous injuries, limiting him to a combined 51 games with Binghamton, St. Lucie, and the Las Vegas 51s. He began the 2018 season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies before earning a promotion to Las Vegas.
2.2. New York Mets
McNeil made his Major League debut with the New York Mets in 2018, quickly demonstrating his hitting prowess and becoming a key player for the team.
2.2.1. 2018 season
On July 24, 2018, McNeil was promoted to Major League Baseball. He recorded his first Major League hit that same night at Citi Field, against Phil Hughes of the San Diego Padres, hitting a single on the very first pitch he faced. On July 31, he hit his first Major League home run off Tanner Roark of the Washington Nationals. For the 2018 season with the Mets, McNeil posted an impressive .329 batting average, with a .381 on-base percentage and a .471 slugging percentage in 225 at bats. Notably, he led all MLB hitters with 140 or more plate appearances in batting average against right-handed pitchers, hitting .345. He received one vote in the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year Award polling, tying for sixth place with Harrison Bader and Yoshihisa Hirano.
Early in his Major League career, McNeil developed a reputation as a "throwback" player, celebrated for his high contact rate and remarkably low strikeout rate, reminiscent of hitters from an earlier era.
2.2.2. 2019 season
Having played primarily second base in 2018, McNeil transitioned to playing the majority of his games in left field during the 2019 season, following the Mets' offseason trade for second baseman Robinson Canó. On June 30, 2019, McNeil earned his first career All-Star selection, being named to the National League All-Star team. On August 5, 2019, he reached a significant milestone, recording his 200th career hit in his 599th career at bat, making him the fastest player in Mets history to achieve 200 career hits. In 2019, he batted .318 with a .384 on-base percentage and a .531 slugging percentage, along with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs. Among all Major League batters, he had the highest percentage of pitches swung at (59.9%) and the highest percentage of pitches swung at within the strike zone (85%).
2.2.3. 2020 season
Heading into the 2020 season, MLB Network ranked McNeil as the fifth-best third baseman in baseball. Despite this ranking, he continued to spend the majority of his games in left field for the Mets. In the pandemic-shortened season, he batted .311/.383/.454. With this performance, McNeil became the first Mets player since David Wright (who achieved it from 2005 to 2009) to maintain a batting average of .300 or higher for three consecutive seasons.
2.2.4. 2021 season
Before the start of the 2021 season, MLB Network recognized McNeil's defensive versatility and hitting prowess by ranking him as the second-best second baseman in Major League Baseball, and the top second baseman in the National League. During this season, which proved to be a comparatively challenging period for him, McNeil batted .251/.319/.360 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs in 120 games.
2.2.5. 2022 season
For the 2022 season, McNeil changed his uniform number to 1 to allow newly acquired outfielder Starling Marte to wear number 6.
On June 10, 2022, McNeil received his second career All-Star selection, being named to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game as a representative for the National League. Initially chosen as a reserve, he was later named the starting second baseman after Miami Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. opted not to play due to injury. This marked the first time a Mets position player had started an All-Star Game since David Wright in the 2013 All-Star Game. In the game, McNeil went 0-for-1, was hit by a pitch, and grounded out.
McNeil concluded the 2022 regular season with a .326 batting average, which was the highest among all qualified major league batters, earning him the National League batting title. He became the first Met to win the NL batting title since José Reyes in 2011, and the first Met ever to lead all of MLB in batting average. Additionally, he recorded the lowest called strike plus whiff rate in the majors, at 19.0%. McNeil described his 2022 campaign as a "bounce-back year" following a relatively weaker 2021 season, a sentiment echoed by The Athletic, which characterized it as "a massive rebound."
On November 10, 2022, McNeil was honored with his first career Silver Slugger Award for second basemen. This made him the first Met to win the award since Yoenis Céspedes in 2016, and the first Mets second baseman to receive the recognition since Edgardo Alfonzo in 1999.
2.2.6. 2023 season
On January 27, 2023, McNeil signed a four-year, 50.00 M USD contract extension with the Mets, which also included a club option for a fifth year. He played in a career-high 156 games for the team in 2023, where he posted a .270 batting average, a .333 on-base percentage, and a .378 slugging percentage, along with 10 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. On September 28, McNeil was placed on the injured list due to a partially torn UCL in his right elbow. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection for the injury and successfully avoided surgery.
2.2.7. 2024 season
On September 6, 2024, McNeil sustained a fractured right wrist after being hit by a pitch from Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brandon Williamson. The injury was projected to sideline him for 6-8 weeks, effectively ending his regular season. Two days later, on September 8, the Mets officially placed McNeil on the 10-day injured list, confirming the end of his regular season after 129 games, in which he had a slash line of .238/.308/.384 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs. Despite missing the first two rounds of the Mets' postseason run, McNeil was added to the team's 26-man roster for the 2024 NLCS.
3. International career
McNeil has also represented the United States in international baseball competitions.
3.1. 2023 World Baseball Classic
McNeil was a member of the United States national baseball team that competed in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Across five games in the tournament, McNeil recorded five walks and one hit, resulting in a .385 on-base percentage. Notably, he scored two runs against Cuba in the semifinals. In the Championship Game against Japan, with the United States trailing 3-2, McNeil led off both the seventh and ninth innings. In the final inning, he was the only American player to reach base, drawing a seven-pitch walk against opposing pitcher Shohei Ohtani. However, Ohtani subsequently retired the remaining batters, securing a second-place finish for Team USA.
4. Personal life
McNeil married Tatiana DaSilva on February 3, 2018, in his hometown of Nipomo, California. In 2019, the couple adopted a dog named Ms. Willow McNeil, who gained popularity on social media. Their first child, a son, was born in July 2022.
Despite his previous decision to give up a professional golf career in favor of baseball, McNeil continues to play golf regularly as a hobby. He participated in the 2023 New York State Open and notably won the celebrity division of the 2024 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
5. Reception and evaluation
Jeff McNeil's career has been marked by a unique playing style and significant achievements, earning him recognition for both his consistent hitting and his versatility on the field.
5.1. Achievements and honors
Throughout his professional baseball career, McNeil has received several significant awards and honors, highlighting his performance and impact in Major League Baseball:
- 2× All-Star (2019, 2022)
- MLB Batting Champion (2022)
- Silver Slugger Award (2022)
5.2. Performance evaluations
McNeil is widely regarded as a "throwback" player due to his exceptional ability to make contact and his low strikeout rates, attributes that distinguish him in the modern game. His 2022 season was particularly noted as a major "bounce-back year" following a comparatively challenging 2021, demonstrating his capacity for high-level performance and consistency. While generally praised for his hitting and versatility, his career has also seen periods of adjustment and challenges, including a significant elbow injury in late 2023 and a wrist fracture in 2024, which have impacted his playing time and performance. His ability to recover and continue contributing, as evidenced by his inclusion on the 2024 postseason roster after his wrist injury, underscores his resilience.