From Rookie to All-Star: Tracing Jeff McNeil's unparalleled rise into a New York Mets star

Jeff McNeil's journey in MLB started with a bang on July 24, 2018, recording his first major league hit that night. He hasn't looked back ever since.

The New York Mets man has been a seriously good utility player with the bat and has had a fantastic past couple of seasons in the Big Apple. McNeil has also made his mark on the field with his hustle, often risking an injury just to make an important play.

He finished the last regular season with a .326 batting average, the highest among all qualified major league batters. He ended up winning the National League batting title as a result.

Impressed by his hustle, loyalty, and determination to win, he's also caught the attention of New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. Cohen has become an ardent fan and mentioned that he couldn't be happier with McNeil's progress, calling him a "homegrown star."

"Steve Cohen on Jeff McNeil: “It feels like he hasn’t stopped hitting since he lined a single in his first at-bat at Citi Field five years ago. We are especially proud that Jeff worked his way through our organization over the last decade to become a homegrown star..." - Michael Mayer, Twitter

McNeil's great form in the league also got the Mets to act fast and re-sign him to a four-year, $50 million contract a couple of days back.

"Watch @JeffMcNeil805 discuss his four-year contract extension with the Mets." - New York Mets, Twitter

Jeff McNeil is an absolute livewire in the field

McNeil's famous for taking pain on the chin, and was probably born a hustler too. In some ways, he's revolutionized fielding in general.

One such example of him showing his best on the field was against the San Francisco Giants. McNeil slid into the left field fence at full speed, chasing the ball. While he ended up making the catch and leaving the fans in awe, he could have been gravely injured in the process.

"With the Mets down 9-1, Jeff McNeil hustled to make an incredible catch and crashed into the side wall. He is remaining in the game," - SNY, Twitter

It's performances like these that could just guarantee you big-league action for a long time to come. With a great combination of heart and talent, you can see how he won over fans in the bleachers.