New York Mets: Austin Jackson, Jeff McNeil Providing Silver Lining

Despite their season being lost, Austin Jackson and Jeff McNeil have hit well for the New York Mets.

Even though they spent a piece of the season in first place, the New York Mets season has been over for a long time now. They’re currently 58-72 and 15 games out of first place in the NL East. Having said that, there have been a few new guys worth watching, most notably outfielder Austin Jackson and infielder Jeff McNeil.

Jackson landed with the Mets after playing for two other teams this year — San Francisco and Texas. Neither stop worked out well, resulting in the Giants trading him to Texas and the Rangers releasing him midway through July. The Mets, needing bodies, signed Jackson on July 27th.

Since coming to the Big Apple, he’s been one of the most exciting players on their roster. In 29 games with the Mets, he’s hit .317 with nine extra-base hits. Additionally, he’s played an errorless center field for the Mets.

Because no one else wanted him, his performance has been a pleasant surprise. However, once upon a time he was a top prospect for the New York Yankees before heading to Detroit in the Curtis Granderson trade. In Detroit, he had several good years and was a staple in their lineup during the Tigers 2011-2013 playoff runs. Point being, he has the tools.

Will he be in New York next year? I don’t know. With that said, I hope he is — anyone but Jay Bruce.

As for Jeff McNeil, he literally came out of nowhere.

McNeil came up from the minors around the same time Jackson joined the Mets. Similarly, he’s hit very, very well. In fact, not counting Jerry Blevins .500 batting average (1-for-2), McNeil has the highest batting average of any Met with at least 100 at-bats (.340 BA). Jackson, for the record, is right behind him at No. 2.

Unlike Jackson, however, Jeff McNeil rarely strikes out. In 106 at-bats, he’s struck out only 11 times while posting an .883 OPS. In addition, he’s also surprised folks with some speed, stealing three bases in 32 games.

From 2013 until his July call-up, McNeil was slowly climbing the ranks in the Mets’ farm system. He had solid batting averages several times during his minor league career but his .368 mark in Triple-A this year made him next in line for a call-up. Thankfully, he singled in his first-ever MLB plate appearance and hasn’t looked back.

As of August 26th, McNeil is on an 11-game hitting streak.

While his hitting streak is impressive, his most impressive feat, at least to me, is his propensity for having big games. On two separate occasions, the 26-year-old infielder has had four-hit games.

READ: 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM METS-PHILLIES LITTLE LEAGUE CLASSIC GAME

Ironically, both Jackson and McNeil were directly responsible for the meltdown and demotion of Washington Nationals’ closer Shawn Kelley a few weeks ago.

Hitting stats for all New York Mets’ players can be found here.

New York will now head on a long, nine-game road trip to Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.