Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil give Mets interesting 1-2 punch in centerfield
Tyrone Taylor of the Mets makes a catch for the first out of the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on May 31. Credit: Jim McIsaac
SAN DIEGO — As Thursday’s trade deadline nears, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns will continue to be tasked with creating as complete a team as he can for a stretch run that is nothing short of postseason or bust.
For a while there, that probably meant acquiring a third baseman, though recent production from Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos makes that less of a priority. And up until just a little while ago, that almost certainly meant solving a thorny issue in centerfield.
Tyrone Taylor, for all his impressive defensive skills, came into Monday’s game against the Padres slashing a career low .204/.260/.298 with two homers and 18 RBIs in 94 games. Make no mistake: The glove is important, particularly since Brandon Nimmo's defense is around league average in left and Juan Soto's is below average in right. But teamwide offensive struggles in June forced manager Carlos Mendoza’s hand, meaning that Jeff McNeil, who’d only started two games in center before this season, began seeing time at the position.
But a funny thing happened with Taylor and McNeil on the way to the outfield grass: “I think it’s two skill sets that complement each other,” Stearns said.
While Stearns said last week that he will continue to evaluate all options at center, both he and Mendoza are also comfortable keeping things as they are.
At Oracle Park — where whipping winds and a centerfield bullpen make the position challenging — Taylor got two of three starts. But Mendoza was also OK with playing McNeil there on Sunday and again at Petco Park on Monday. And that’s only possible because it turns out that McNeil, who came into the day slashing .328/.392/.522 in 27 games in center this year and has the third-highest OPS on the team, looks perfectly respectable manning the position.
“There have been some really sharp line drives that I’ve been really impressed with,” Taylor told Newsday on Monday, when McNeil got the start. “I’m like, ‘Dude, how did he do that?’ Usually, I would have to back up [on a play like that] or fully commit [and dive]. So I think things like that are cool . . . He’s made it look a lot easier than it really is.”
Part of it is McNeil’s natural athleticism — he’s played every position except catcher and pitcher — and part of it is the work that he’s done with coach Antoan Richardson, Mendoza said.
“He makes the routine plays, the jumps,” he said of McNeil. “I feel like he’s made some plays keeping guys at first base as opposed to doubles. But yeah, I think the jumps, the positioning, [he’s] engaged with Antoan and making the routine plays.”
And then there’s Taylor’s value — the guy you put in to protect against the not-so-routine plays. His arm is the best in baseball, according to Baseball Savant, and his fielding run value is tied for fourth.
There’s also the Soto Factor: Taylor isn’t shy about covering ground for Soto, whose fielding run value and range are toward the bottom of the league. And Soto, who’s certainly worked to improve his defense but has deferred to Taylor out there, doesn’t mind.
“It’s incredible,” Soto said earlier this month, referencing Taylor’s defense. “Every day, every day he’s taking balls out of my way. He’s been doing great. I’m really happy to have him right there. You know, a lot of times, guys don’t like that, but any time he has a chance, he can go get it. I trust him so much that he can do that.”
It’s also something that Taylor works on consistently.
“A lot of it is in batting practice” he said before the game Monday. “It’s [about] seeing the ball off the bat and knowing every stadium is different, every day is different because you get to know which way the wind is blowing and if the ball travels at that certain park or if it doesn’t . . . And I’m about to go do that right now.”
Notes & quotes: Tylor Megill (right elbow sprain) threw a bullpen Sunday and “came out fine,” Mendoza said. He’ll likely throw another one before facing batters . . . Double-A Binghamton infielder Ryan Clifford was named Eastern League player of the week, batting .522 with four homers, 12 RBIs, 11 runs and eight walks in six games. He leads Double-A with 21 homers and 66 RBIs.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
