FLUSHING, N.Y., – The New York Mets today announced the club has signed infielder/outfielder and two-time All-Star Jeff McNeil to a four-year contract that begins in 2023 and runs through the 2026 season. The deal also includes a club option for the 2027 season.
“We are thrilled for Jeff and his family,” Mets Owner, CEO and Chairman Steve Cohen said. “It feels like he hasn’t stopped hitting since he lined a single in his first at-bat at Citi Field five years ago. We are especially proud that Jeff worked his way through our organization over the last decade to become a homegrown star and that he has chosen to extend our partnership.”
The Nipomo, California native was named to his second All-Star team in 2022, earning the start at second base. He was also an All-Star in 2019, his first full major league season. McNeil and Ron Hunt are the only players in franchise history to start an All-Star Game at second base.
McNeil, 30, led the major leagues with a .326 (174-533) batting average while appearing in a career-high 148 games in 2022. He became the first Mets player ever to lead MLB in average and the second Met to win a National League batting title. He also ranked third in the majors and led the NL in strikeout rate (10.4 percent) last season. His 5.7 bWAR led the team and ranked ninth among NL position players. McNeil recorded 53 multi-hit games in 2022, tied for the fourth-most in the majors and was eighth in the NL with 39 doubles.
“Jeff was a big part of our success last season,” Mets General Manager Billy Eppler said. “He has truly elite bat-to-ball skill, which has been the foundation of his strong offensive performance throughout his career. On the other side of the ball, his ability to play infield and outfield at a high level adds valuable flexibility to our roster. We’re thrilled to have him here for years to come.”
He has batted .311 or better and posted an on-base percentage of .381 or higher in four of his five seasons with New York. His .307 career batting average is the second-best in MLB since 2018 and his .370 lifetime OBP is the 15th-highest mark (min. 2,000 PA) over the last five years.
Among 589 players with a minimum 1,750 at-bats in their first five big league seasons in the Divisional Era (since 1969), McNeil has the 34th-highest career batting average with a .307 mark. McNeil has the third-highest WAR (16.9) by a Mets position player in their first five major league seasons behind David Wright (26.2) and Darryl Strawberry (20.1) according to Baseball Reference.
A versatile player on both sides of the ball, McNeil has made 253 of his 462 career defensive starts at second base. He has also started in left field (130 games), right field (53 games) and third base (26 games). He made starts in seven different batting order positions in 2022 and took at least one at-bat in all nine spots in the batting order last season.
Originally drafted by the Mets in the 12th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, McNeil has appeared in 516 games for the Mets in five major league seasons. He owns a career .307/.370/.458 slashline with 258 runs, 121 doubles, nine triples, 46 home runs and 214 RBI.
