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The New York Mets have a lot to celebrate right now.
They’ve reached the postseason for the first time since 2016 and one of their own, Jeff McNeil, earned the batting title in the National League.
McNeil actually had the best batting average in all of baseball at .326.
He also hit nine home runs, drove in 62 runs, posted an on-base percentage of .382, and an OPS of .836.
So naturally, when a player has this type of season, people want to look back on their journey to get to the big leagues in the first place.
In McNeil’s case, the journey is quite unique.
He didn’t start playing high school baseball until his senior year, was a 12th round pick, was limited to 51 games through 2016 and 2017 due to injuries, and got passed over in the Rule 5 Draft.
Jeff McNeil:
• Didn’t play HS baseball until his senior year
• 12th-round Draft pick
• Injuries limited him to 51 games in the Minors from 2016-17
• Passed over in the Rule 5 Draft
• Made his MLB debut at 26He’s now a 2-time All-Star who just won a batting title. pic.twitter.com/i0M36rdjQ0
— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) October 5, 2022
McNeil’s Journey
Obviously, you know the rest.
McNeil has since been an All-Star twice and now is the NL Batting champ.
Talk about dedication.
This is a guy who got a late break into the game.
But when his opportunity arose, he sure took it and ran with it.
This is exactly what you want to see out of a player.
Clearly, nothing has been handed to McNeil.
He’s had to scratch and claw and fight for everything.
Now, he’s a batting champion and a key component on a team that is postseason bound.
It’s hard to draw it up any better than that.
Since day one, it’s been a grind for McNeil.
Yet here he is, ready to make some noise in October and celebrating a batting title.
This is an amazing story and one that should inspire young baseball players.
More must-reads:
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