Jeff McNeil crossed a threshold this week. When he suits up for the 2019 New York Mets, he won’t have Rookie of the Year eligibility. The number of at-bats he had in 2018 made sure of that.
Capturing Rookie of the Year honors was certainly no goal of McNeil’s when the year began. Quite frankly, he’s probably shocked to see himself on a big league roster.
Usually, by 26, anyone who will have an impact in the major leagues has already sipped from the MLB mug. Call McNeil a late-bloomer or a guy who suffered through circumstances to hold him back.