Inside The Mets

This Mets infielder is predicted to win second base competition

One New York Mets infielder has been projected to win the Opening Day competition for second base.

Grant Young

Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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With recently signed New York Mets infielder Nick Madrigal expected to miss the entire 2025 regular season after suffering a broken and dislocated shoulder, the competition for New York's everyday second baseman job seems to be between veteran Jeff McNeil and Mets No. 7 ranked prospect Luisangel Acuña.

Acuña also suffered an injury scare over the weekend when he was hit by a pitch in the left arm/elbow area, and left the game shortly after. However, Carlos Mendoza assuaged any concerns on Sunday when he said, "As of right now, not too concerned," when speaking about Acuña's injury.

While Acuña might boast the more compelling name, the Mets probably know what they're going to get out of Jeff McNeil, which could be a reason why they'd prefer him to win the starting job.

And that's exactly what Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicted would be the case in a March 3 article that was titled "Predicting Every MLB Team's 2025 Opening Day Lineup, Version 4.0".

Reuter projected the Mets' Opening Day lineup to have McNeil hitting sixth and starting at second base.

Read more: Mets' Carlos Mendoza gets honest about starter's spring training struggles

While McNeil is just a few seasons removed from being the 2022 MLB Batting Champion, the 2024 season he produced — where he hit .238 with a .692 OPS, 12 home runs, and 44 RBIs in 424 at-bats — doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. Although the fact that his second-half OPS jumped up to .923 bodes well for 2025.

As do some quotes from McNeil that are included in a March 2 article from Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post.

“You got to have the intent to do damage,” McNeil said after Sunday's spring training loss to the Red Sox, per the article. “Not be afraid to … you’re going to chase some balls out of the zone. But when you get that one pitch, you’ve got to be ready to hit it with authority. You can’t just try to guide it out there.”

McNeil continuing to do damage during spring training will likely not just earn him the second base job, but also make the Mets' offense even more formidable.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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