SAN FRANCISCO — Jeff McNeil openly embraces the comparison to another sweet-swinging second baseman.
The Mets rookie realizes he has much to prove before he belongs in the same sentence with Daniel Murphy, but he also won’t run from the idea he can become that.
“Especially since I watched him play,” said McNeil, who carried a .319/.383/.486 slash line with two homers and 10 RBIs into play Friday before going 1-for-3 with a double in the Mets’ 7-0 loss to the Giants. “I played with [Murphy] a good amount in the minor leagues when he was rehabbing. He has good ball-to-bat skills and power, so I can see that. If I can do that for the rest of my career I will be happy.”
McNeil has reached base in 16 straight games, a stretch in which he has a .386 on-base percentage.
Murphy, the former Mets second baseman, has a similar aggressive approach at the plate, but is also known for his discipline.
“It’s a good call,” Todd Frazier said, referring to the McNeil-Murphy comparison. “It’s early. I think he can be as good as him for sure. Comparisons are great, but let’s see it over a whole year span and I think he will be fine.”
McNeil, who debuted with the Mets on July 24, said opposing pitchers have changed their approach recently, throwing him off-speed pitches earlier in the count. But McNeil is happy with the manner in which he has adjusted.
“He is gritty and he is learning,” Frazier said.
“I have to give him a jab here or there, but that is par for the course, really. He is playing the game the right way and me and him are focused on not taking every at-bat to heart and he loves the game.”
Amed Rosario was absent from the starting lineup and did not play after undergoing an emergency root canal, according to manager Mickey Callaway.
Kevin Plawecki was placed on paternity leave after returning home to Arizona on Thursday for the birth of his first child. Jacob Rhame replaced Plawecki on the roster.
In the first wave of September callups, relievers Eric Hanhold and Tim Peterson are scheduled to join the Mets from Triple-A Las Vegas.
