X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Can Jeff McNeil Keep Surprising?

Scott Engel takes an in-depth look at the surprising play of New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil and issues his outlook in the second half of the fantasy baseball season.

Jeff McNeil sat at his locker at Citi Field just before the All-Star break and contemplated the fact that not only was he going to represent the Mets in the 2019 All-Star Game, he was going to be on the National League roster with longtime friend Pete Alonso. “It means a lot,” McNeil said. “I’m really excited. We both are.”

It seems Alonso, who has quickly risen to real and Fantasy Baseball stardom, and McNeil, who is enjoying a breakout season, are being linked together frequently in both worlds. In the spring, McNeil’s place in the Mets lineup was not firm, and Alonso was in a battle for playing time with Dominic Smith and it was uncertain if he would begin the season in the majors. Alonso was the 30th player off the board at first base in drafts and McNeil was 33rd at second base.

Both have outperformed real and fantasy expectations and have been the two brightest spots in an otherwise frustrating season for the Mets. While Alonso is already a star in the making, will the magic continue for the lesser-hyped McNeil?

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Surprising Start

Alonso had a terrific spring and has fully carried the momentum through the first half, while McNeil has nailed down the leadoff job. He has played most of his time in his left field and at 2B. Injury issues have pushed McNeil into a lot of work in the outfield, and teammate Michael Conforto has seen just how valuable he has become as a hitter and fielder.

“Jeff has been great for us. Obviously he's in the conversation for the batting title. He is our everyday leadoff guy and someone that can play anywhere on the field,” Conforto said.

When I landed McNeil with the very last choice in the Tout Wars Mixed Auction draft for one dollar, neither I or anyone in the room were expecting a .345 batting average with 41 runs scored, 36 RBI and a nifty seven homers to boot at the break. Veteran Mets beat writer Mike Puma of the New York Post wasn’t forecasting McNeil to contend for the hitting crown, either.

“I didn't expect him to be this good. I thought he could be a .300 hitter. I didn't envision him at .350. I don't think the Mets did either,” Puma said.

Alonso has morphed into a fantasy standout in a short period, but McNeil has also turned into the type of guy who you can surround Alonso with on a championship squad. He has unexpectedly been a major batting average standout while bolstering fantasy teams in other categories.

 

A Dynamic Duo

All along the way to the All-Star Game, Alonso and McNeil have helped each other gain advantages, sharing tips and insights on opposing pitchers with each other.

“We always talk about the pitcher coming up,” McNeil said. He is a real smart hitter who watches a lot of video, and we'll talk and try to come up with a plan.”

McNeil has a .385 BABIP, and while that number would seem to point to some regression, it could be minor. As Conforto pointed out, McNeil’s distinctive hitting style should continue to generate more success.

“His approach at the plate is pretty simple, to put the barrel on it. And he wants to find a hole,” Conforto said. If there's a gap in the infield you can bet he's aiming for it. He's good enough most of the time to put the ball where he wants to. It's an old school type of thing.  Right now a lot of guys are trying to hit the ball over the fence but he's really looking for gaps in a defense. When I was playing with him in the minor leagues he was doing the same stuff.”

Puma agreed, saying McNeil has the unique ability to seemingly guide the ball where he wants it to go.

“Wherever a pitcher puts the ball, he puts it in play,” Puma said.

McNeil said he is not the type of leadoff hitter that might be ideally suited for the spot in many people’s minds, but his aggressive approach has led to the desired results.

“I’m definitely not the type of hitter to go up there and see a lot of pitches or want to walk a lot.  I definitely like to swing a lot early in the count so I'm not your prototypical leadoff hitter,” McNeil said.

McNeil has a 5.7 percent walk rate, yet he has been able to sustain a .407 OBP. He is swinging at more pitches outside the zone this season and his fly ball percentage has fallen from 39.7 percent to 32.7 percent. He has not hit below .277 in any month yet. Naturally, all hitters will go through cold streaks, but Puma believes you will not see a significant falloff from McNeil in the second half of the season.

“Can he keep it up? Why not?,” Puma said. “He’s already gone and done it for the whole first half of the year.”

The bonus power production did not arrive until last year. From 2013 to 2017, McNeil had never hit more than three home runs in a minor league season. He then hit 19 in 88 minor league games at two levels last year before being called up to the Mets, where he hit five homers in 31 games.

“I put on a lot of weight that offseason and got a lot stronger. I focused a lot on my offseason weightlifting routine.  It has kind of showed the last few years, as the power numbers have really been there,” McNeil said.

What also makes McNeil unique is his usage of a knobless bat, which he has been favoring since 2015, when Mets minor league hitting coordinator Lamar Johnson introduced it to him.

“Once I got my hands on it I really loved it,” McNeil said. ”I like the feel of it, as it's really balanced. I choke up on the bat anyway, so I really don't need a knob. It felt really good and I've been using it ever since.”

McNeil has been impressing teammates since college, when he earned the nickname “Squirrel” for the way he made diving catches at Long Beach State. Now he is earning serious attention, even back in California, where he grew up in Nipomo.

 

Fantasy Come True

“I definitely take it as a compliment,” he said about being noticed in fantasy sports. “It's pretty cool to see people back home drafting me. I think it's pretty awesome.”

Now, fantasy players simply want to know, can he continue playing at this level the rest of the season? Should they sell high on him? Puma reiterated that he believes McNeil can continue to play at a high level in the second half.

“He is a terrific contact hitter, so why not?” Puma said.

I would expect a slump to inevitably befall McNeil at some point soon, but it’s hard to see it lasting extensively. You didn’t invest much draft capital into McNeil, so keep riding with him and enjoy fine overall results. His profile is one of a unique player and hitter, so he can continue to defy expectations.

“I know what I'm capable of doing this year, for future seasons and it's just the kind of player who I am, to try to hit for a high average, getting on base. and hopefully I’ll keep that going,” McNeil said.

More 2019 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Charlie Morton17 mins ago

Strikes Out 10 In Loss
J.T. Realmuto26 mins ago

Collects Three Hits
Nikola Jokić33 mins ago

Nikola Jokic Expected To Play On Friday
Hunter Brown40 mins ago

Registers Eight Strikeouts
Jonathan Kuminga44 mins ago

Back On Thursday Night
Christian Walker46 mins ago

Mashes Homer In Win
Freddie Freeman56 mins ago

Heading To Injured List
Miles Boykin2 hours ago

Heading To Chicago
Jalen Wilson3 hours ago

Sidelined On Thursday
Baker Mayfield3 hours ago

Tampa Bay Restructures Baker Mayfield's Deal
Case Keenum3 hours ago

Chicago Signs Case Keenum To One-Year Deal
Kyshawn George3 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Richaun Holmes3 hours ago

Out Versus Magic
Khris Middleton3 hours ago

Out Again Thursday Versus Magic
D'Angelo Russell4 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Noah Clowney4 hours ago

Done For Rest Of The Season
Jordan Poole4 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Scottie Barnes4 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Cedric Mullins4 hours ago

Goes Deep In Loss To Boston
Jonathan Drouin4 hours ago

Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin Unavailable Thursday
Tyrese Maxey4 hours ago

Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
Alexandar Georgiev4 hours ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Henry Thrun4 hours ago

Returns From Nine-Game Absence Thursday
Taijuan Walker4 hours ago

Blanks Rockies For Six Innings To Earn First Win
Tanner Houck5 hours ago

Picks Up No-Decision In Four-Inning Outing
Olli Määttä5 hours ago

Olli Maatta Returns To Utah Lineup Thursday
Alex Bregman5 hours ago

Fills The Box Score In Win Over Orioles
Dylan Guenther5 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Jorge Polanco5 hours ago

Reinstated From Paternity List
Anthony Duclair5 hours ago

Takes Leave Of Absence
Carlos Rodriguez5 hours ago

Joining Brewers On Thursday
Alex Pietrangelo5 hours ago

On Track To Return Thursday
Brady Tkachuk5 hours ago

Out On Thursday
DJ LeMahieu5 hours ago

"About A Week Away" From Taking Live At-Bats
Devin Williams5 hours ago

To Return From Paternity List On Friday
Jake Fraley5 hours ago

Gavin Lux, Jake Fraley Sitting Against A Lefty
Trey McBride5 hours ago

Cardinals Making Trey McBride The Highest-Paid Tight End In NFL History
Geno Smith6 hours ago

Raiders, Geno Smith Agree To Two-Year Extension
Jeferson Quero6 hours ago

Set Back With Hamstring Injury
Eguy Rosario7 hours ago

Clears Waivers, Outrighted To Triple-A
Xavier Isaac7 hours ago

Rays Hopeful Xavier Isaac Will Return In A Couple Of Weeks
Angel Genao7 hours ago

Won't Return Until June
Austin Wells7 hours ago

Being Rested On Thursday
Paul Goldschmidt7 hours ago

Sitting In Finale Against Arizona
Masataka Yoshida7 hours ago

Not Ready For Rehab Assignment
7 hours ago

Tyler Shough Could Be Day 2 Pick In NFL Draft
Dallas Cowboys7 hours ago

Shemar Stewart Meeting With Cowboys Staff
New York Giants8 hours ago

Travis Hunter The Likely Pick For Giants?
Dallas Cowboys8 hours ago

DeMarvion Overshown Aiming For Comeback Player Of The Year Award
Washington Commanders9 hours ago

Commanders Sign T.J. Maguranyanga
Kansas City Chiefs9 hours ago

Mike Edwards Reunites With Chiefs
New Orleans Saints9 hours ago

Saints Could Take A Quarterback Early In The Draft
Joe Milton III12 hours ago

Traded To Cowboys
Anfernee Simons13 hours ago

Could Be Absent Again Thursday
Scoot Henderson13 hours ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game Thursday
Scottie Barnes13 hours ago

Iffy For Thursday
Immanuel Quickley13 hours ago

Takes Thursday Off
Jakob Poeltl13 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Damian Lillard13 hours ago

May Return To Action Sooner Than Expected
Giannis Antetokounmpo13 hours ago

Likely To Suit Up Thursday
LeBron James14 hours ago

Probable Thursday
Jared McCann15 hours ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Jackson Blake15 hours ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Artemi Panarin15 hours ago

Tallies Three Points In Overtime Victory
Andrei Svechnikov15 hours ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Jake McCabe15 hours ago

Suffers Injury On Wednesday
Jonathan Drouin16 hours ago

Exits Wednesday's Contest
Los Angeles Chargers23 hours ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
1 day ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals1 day ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Tutu Atwell1 day ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers1 day ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Jrue Holiday1 day ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets1 day ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Al Horford1 day ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Evgeni Malkin1 day ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Filip Chytil1 day ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Declan Chisholm1 day ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Samuel Girard1 day ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta1 day ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Eeli Tolvanen1 day ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Jaden Schwartz1 day ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
1 day ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
1 day ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
Cameron Young2 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge2 days ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick2 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners2 days ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay2 days ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland2 days ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti2 days ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp2 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim2 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau2 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole2 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens3 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA3 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman3 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg3 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall3 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara3 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez3 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez3 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones4 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry5 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano5 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Russell Wilson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Fantasy Football Outlooks For QBs On New Teams: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, more

The NFL quarterback carousel gets to spin every offseason, and plenty of QBs have already found new homes ahead of the 2025 NFL season. For fantasy football, a player's surrounding team is extremely important, so it's worth looking into each of their outlooks with their new squads. There are still a few unsigned QBs, but […]


Shedeur Sanders - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Superflex/Two-QB

The 2025 NFL Draft is still less than 30 days away. Therefore, dynasty fantasy rookie mock drafts are nearly here. Much will change between now and the NFL Draft. However, it’s time for another dynasty rookie mock draft. This rookie mock draft is a two-round, 12-team, and two-quarterbacks. For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, […]


Deshaun Watson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Offseason Team Needs: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

The AFC North, comprised of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers, sent two teams to the playoffs in 2024 and had one on the cusp of a playoff berth. The Ravens have the best roster of the four teams by a long shot. The Steelers have a solid defensive group, and […]


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 2: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2025)

Week 2 of the UFL season is just around the corner. This week will feature one game on Friday, one game on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Birmingham and Michigan will play at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, followed by Memphis-D.C. on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Sunday's game pits the 1-0 Renegades against the […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]