Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Early in the season, it seemed that Jeff McNeil had fallen out of the race for the National League batting title. McNeil had a batting average of .208 in July and saw his season average fall from .319 to .294.
The Mets second baseman/outfielder persevered the rest of the season and batted .370 from August 1 to October 2 to raise his batting average to an MLB-leading .326. With a slim margin over Freddie Freeman for the National League batting title entering Tuesday’s doubleheader, McNeil separated himself by going 3-for-8 in the two games and stagnated his average at .326.
The ball didn’t find any outfield grass for Freeman and he went 0-for-4 in the Dodgers game last Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies. Freeman is now hitless in his last 12 at-bats and his average has fallen to .322.
With a breathable lead over Freeman for the batting title, Buck Showalter has the option to sit McNeil in the last game of the season.
When asked about the prospect of playing in game 162, McNeil said, “The main goal is to be ready for the playoffs on Friday. If I need a couple of at-bats tomorrow, I’m happy to take some… but I’m not sure of what the plan is (for Sunday’s game).”
There is an outside possibility that Freeman is able to retake the batting average crown in the final game of the 2022 season. If Freeman goes 4-for-4 in the season finale, his average will rise to .327. Luckily for Showalter, every single game starts at 4:10 eastern time on Wednesday. It is a possibility to watch the box score and decide to use McNeil accordingly.
If McNeil’s batting average holds, he will be the second New York Met to win the NL batting title. José Reyes won the first title for the Mets in 2011 when he batted .337 in his walk year. McNeil, however, would be the first Met to ever win the batting title for both leagues. He leads MLB with his .326 average and is far ahead of Luis Arraez‘s American League leading .315 average.
“It’s a little nerve wracking,” McNeil added in Tuesday night’s post game interview with Anthony DiComo when asked about leading MLB in batting average. However, McNeil was also able to have a sense of humor when discussing the award.
“It’s the only award I can look forward to. I’m never going to lead the majors in home runs.”
