How both the Mets & Yankees can stay hot over the summer

 The key for both the New York Mets and New York Yankees offensive success throughout the summer and into October will come in form of players who part of why both teams won games but haven’t had major success at the big-league level in quite some time.

DJ LeMahieu and Jeff McNeil at the start of the 2020’s for the Pinstripes and the Metropolitans were the table setters for the offense. Both won batting titles in a time in baseball where the glitz and glamour of the highest batting average is all but gone. Suddenly, so too was the production of LeMahieu and McNeil that made the Yankee and Met offense so dangerous. Everything about their at-bats didn’t feel the same as it did before. Part of that is rest of the league figuring out ways to get them out. The other part is the natural aging progression in baseball. LeMahieu is now 36. McNeil 33. And the last part is injuries. Each of the last two seasons each has missed major time with their own injuries. McNeil hasn’t played 150 plus games since 2023. LeMahieu hasn’t reached that mark in a season since 2021. Both started this year on the injured list and had to work their way back.

Now in extremely limited action—they are showing glimpses of their former selves. In 21 games, LeMahieu back at second base, has a .277 average, already equaled his 2024 home run total with two, has driven in nine, has drawn nine walks, and has a .765 OPS. McNeil in 36 games in his usual utility role has a .266 average, is an extra base-hit machine with five doubles, three tripes, and six home runs, with 19 RBI’s, 17 walks, and an .891 OPS.

The Yankees and Mets also need both guys to keep this production right now. Not career years but to stay healthy because of injuries, poor production from elsewhere on the roster, or a lack of roster construction by the front office.

For the Mets, the early season Jose Siri injury changed the makeup of the team. Siri is a great defender in centerfield and adds pressure on the basepaths. That is now gone. Tyrone Taylor’s lack of production replacing Siri has now opened a hole in the Mets lineup. Jeff McNeil is not a centerfielder but has filled in admirably for six games. Mark Vientos has a hamstring injury that will also give McNeil some time over at third base. However, McNeil’s natural position of second base has become somewhat of a hole because of Luisangel Acuña’s slump. Right now, McNeil has the multiple opportunities to show if he’s capable of helping his ball club in a time of need.

In the Bronx, DJ LeMahieu is getting perhaps his last chance in pinstripes. The Yankees have a third base problem right now. They’ve had a third base problem since Miguel Andujar didn’t pan out. Brian Cashman has tried and hasn’t tried to figure out this problem. For this season right now, it seems like Jazz Chisholm is going to be the solution. But Chisholm can only be the solution at third if LeMahieu is showing that he can hold his on weight at the plate across the diamond at second. And during his Yankee career it has seemed that LeMahieu has played his best while playing the position he has won four gold gloves at. The Yankees pursuit to get back to the World Series for a second straight year, something they haven’t done since 2000-2001, relies on LeMahieu’s ability to turn back the clock.

The Yankees are in first place by four games over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mets are five clear of the Philadelphia Phillies by five games. Both have two of the three best records in Major League Baseball with offenses that top five in the game. These teams aren’t in a dire need of run production, but if they get that consistency from LeMahieu and McNeil have showcased they are capable of then both teams will go from great to virtually unstoppable. If not, they will be able to get caught at some point in October instead of potentially spraying champagne and becoming a forever team.