Former Nipomo High star named as MLB All-Star reserve in first full season
Former Nipomo High School star and current Met Jeff McNeil was selected as a National League All-Star reserve in his first full season in the majors on Sunday.
The player’s ballot and Commissioner’s Office combined to select the reserves for the All-Star Game this season. Managers had no say to eliminate potential conflicts of interest.
The 27-year-old was snubbed as a starter, despite boasting a .344 average in his first full season in the big leagues. His average ranks behind only Los Angeles Dodger slugger Cody Bellinger (.348) and New York Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu (.345). He owns the fifth-best on-base percentage (.409), even while playing for a Mets team positioned 13 games behind the NL East-leading Braves.
He was listed as an outfielder on the ballot but has seen time at second and third base this year.
McNeil was joined by teammate Pete Alonso and Jacob deGrom as reserves. Alonso has 28 home runs on the year, good for second best in the MLB, and will also hit in the Home Run Derby. deGrom is 4-7 in 17 starts with a 3.32 ERA and has 128 strikeouts in 103 innings.
McNeil has not stopped hitting since he was selected by the Mets in the 12th round of the 2013 Draft out of Long Beach State. If it weren’t for injuries, namely a torn hip labrum and torn quad in back to back seasons, McNeil would have likely reached the majors much sooner.
He hit .329 in his first season in the minors and was named to the South Atlantic All-Star Game in 2013. After hitting .332 in his first full-length season, he advanced to Double-A in 2015, where injuries plagued him until 2018.
He opened the season in Double-A and after a 57-game stint in Triple-A, was in the majors by July.
During his impressive rookie season, he hit .329 and was sixth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Through his first 475 at-bats, he had 162 hits — the highest by any active player in the major leagues since Wade Boggs had 166 hits in his first 475 at-bats (1982-83), according to Elias Sports Bureau.
McNeil’s run is remarkable considering he only played one year of high school baseball at Nipomo, where he put together a season with a .446 average, 13 doubles, seven homers and 30 RBI.
For the first three years of high school he focused on basketball and golf, before switching to baseball after previously just playing summer ball.
Pros with local ties
Cal Poly has a plethora of former talent throughout the minor league system. However, only one former player is currently in the majors, Mitch Haniger of the Seattle Mariners. Haniger is currently recovering from a ruptured testicle, and has been taking batting practice with the team. Haniger had surgery June 6.
A 2018 All-Star selection, Haniger is hitting just .220, but has 15 homers, 13 doubles and 32 RBI in 63 games.
While no former Cal Poly players earned a nod to a minor league All-Star game, some are having notable seasons.
First baseman Brian Mundell is hitting .357 with six homers and 21 doubles in 59 games for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Mundell is currently the No. 29 ranked prospect in the Rockies’ system.
Infielder Mark Mathias is hitting .285 for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. Mathias was drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft by the Cleveland Indians.
Outfielder Alex McKenna is hitting .289 in 14 games for the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits, an affiliate of the Houston Astros. A fourth-round pick in 2018, McKenna had the start to his season delayed by injuries.
Former Templeton and Cal Poly standout Spencer Howard had his first rehab start in Single-A since late April. Howard is the No. 2 pitching prospect in the Phillies’ minor league system.
Former Righetti star Matt Sauer will miss the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Sauer pitched in only two games this year before it was determined that he would need surgery. Sauer was a second-round pick by the Yankees in 2017.
This story was originally published June 30, 2019 at 2:49 PM.