Is Jeff McNeil the ideal leadoff man? Judging the flying squirrel of the New York Mets on all areas of his game, the easy answer is “no.”
An ideal leadoff man in today’s baseball world, though, is hard to find. He needs to steal bases at an elite level and this just isn’t a part of McNeil’s game. Quite frankly, it’s not a part of the strategy of many. Stolen bases are an afterthought and something mostly received for engaging in when Travis d’Arnaud behind the plate—I say while getting in some parting shots.