Reaction To Jeff McNeil Rough Day at Third

In his first Spring Training start at third base, Jeff McNeil struggled. He had three errors – a missed catch, a missed grounder, and a bad throw.

The complete overreaction to this should be a really big yawn.

As reported by Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets may not be quite reacting that way. In fact, Puma reports J.D. Davis and Jonathan Villar will get the bulk of playing time at third.

If true, it’s a bad plan. Davis is the worst third baseman in the game. Villar is a poor defender who last played third in 2016. Looking at it, McNeil is the Mets best defensive third baseman with a 5 DRS.

McNeil at third would also open up more playing time for Luis Guillorme. If nothing else, Guillorme is a very good defender. He’s also been making significant strides offensively.

Guillorme should ideally start at second where he is Gold Glove caliber. That would move McNeil to third. Notably, Luis Rojas said McNeil has “looked well at third base in the past.” He will again if given the opportunity.

Overall, Guillorme at second with McNeil at third remains the Mets best possible infield. As such, the team should not overreact to one poor day.

The Mets need to be better than that. They need to roll their eyes and do what’s right for the team. Whatever they decide, they need to move forward with their best team and lineup.

4 Replies to “Reaction To Jeff McNeil Rough Day at Third”

  1. Jules Greenstein says:
    March 8, 2021 at 6:40 am

    Some of McNeil’s poor play at 3rd don’t appear as errors in the box score. On a McCann throw to 3rd that easily beat the runner, McNeil muffed the tag. McNeil is making J.D. look like a defensive genius. Thus far, Davis has made all the plays, has a cannon for an arm, and will surprise everyone with his improved defense. I also expect him to be competing for the batting title if he isn’t platooned with Guilorme..

    1. metsdaddy says:
      March 8, 2021 at 7:11 am

      Davis is literally the worst defensive player in all of baseball. The only time he should be holding a mitt is for when he’s handing it to another player.

    2. metsdaddy says:
      March 8, 2021 at 1:05 pm

      No, he’s really not.

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