SAN DIEGO — It is, Brandon Nimmo observed, “kind of weird.”
We are discussing Jeff McNeil’s unique knobless bat, his baseball weapon of choice that is “kind of the first thing broadcasters talk about” when the Mets open a series with a new opponent, the Mets’ soft-spoken star sophomore noted with a smile. For those fans of a certain age, this odd-looking contraption might bring them back to their stickball-playing days.
“When you catch it sweet with an end-heavy one, you don’t even feel the ball,” Nimmo, who has tried McNeil’s bat in pregame practice although not in a game, explained on Sunday.