BY GEORGE DICKIE
In sports, there is the term "regression to the mean"
and it applies to teams or players that overperform one
season and are expected to come back to earth the next.
So it would follow then, that underperforming squads
or players should enjoy a progression to their mean.
No one has exemplified that more this season than
the New York Mets and their second baseman Jeff
McNeil. Coming off a forgettable 2021 campaign, both
the player and the team are playing to their talent level
this year and the result is a wide lead in the NL East
through the season's first two months.
As of late May, the man nicknamed "The Flying
Squirrel" was hitting .319 with three home runs, 26
RBIs, a .374 on-base percentage and an OPS of .871.
He attributes much of his success in 2022 to just trying
to put the barrel of the bat on the ball and not swinging
for the fences. He's also been
proficient at "hitting 'em where
they ain't" or aiming his hits at the
holes created when an opposing
team puts a shift on him.
McNeil and the Mets can be
seen in action Monday, June 20,
when they conclude a four-game
home series against the Miami
Marlins in a game airing on MLB
Network.
'Flying Squirrel' McNeil
has Mets aloft in NL East
• FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 20 - 26, 2022 •
YOUR WEEKLY GUIDE TO TV ENTERTAINMENT
"PBS NewsHour" anchor and managing
editor Judy Woodruff receives a Lifetime
Achievement honor at The 49th Annual
Daytime Emmy Awards, Friday on CBS
and Paramount+.
