Through the Mets’ first 60 games of the 2019 season, Jeff McNeil held a .329 batting average. Halfway through that stretch, though, his average hovered at .370 following a four-hit game against the Cincinnati Reds on April 30th.

So in a drastically shortened 60-game 2020 season, could a player like McNeil get off to a hot enough start and maintain it enough to become the first player since Ted Williams in (1941) to hit .400?

“It would be nice. I know I had a good first half of the year last year. Hopefully I can do it again,” McNeil said on Thursday. “I’ve got 60 games to go out there and get as many hits as possible. Hopefully by the end of the year it is .400, but we’ll see. My goal is just to get on base as much as I can for the guys behind me.”

But McNeil’s goals are much more team-oriented than anything having to do with his own personal success. So even in a shortened season, the goal is still the same.

“The ultimate goal is to go out there, make the playoffs, and win a World Series,” said McNeil. “That’s still our goal. Personally, I’m trying to go up there every single at-bat, get on base, and make good things happen for this team.”

And while the objective is unchanged, almost everything else around the game is very different. As the Mets hold their first ever Summer Camp at an empty Citi Field, the players must remain six feet apart from one another, and routine actions like spitting sunflower seeds and high-fiving teammates are now prohibited under the league’s health and safety protocols.

It’s been an adjustment for everyone involved, but McNeil said it’s starting to become a bit more routine.

“Day one was weird, it was like ‘What can we do? What can’t we do? Are we allowed to go into the weight room?’ All of that good stuff. Now it’s becoming normal,” McNeil said. “We understand what we can and can’t do. Just to be social distanced whenever we can, try to stay as far away from players as possible. It’s becoming more normal. We’re all able to get out work in and get prepared for the season.

“The food’s a little bit different. We can’t really go in there, and it’s not cafeteria style. They have a few options for us. You go in there and hopefully there’s something that you like, and if not, you’re going to Uber Eats something later. It’s just a little bit different but we’re getting used to it. It’s not too bad. “

But when it really comes down to it, McNeil is simply happy just to be back on the field with his teammates, playing the game he loves.

“It’s a lot of fun, being back with the boy, being back out here. We’re just enjoying it, trying to have as much fun as we can out there,” said McNeil.” I’m enjoying it. Love being back out there hitting again. It’s been a lot of fun so far.

“We’ve just got to be six feet apart, but we’re always talking, joking. This team gets along really well, so it shouldn’t be a problem for us, having that chemistry going into this year.”

A huge part of building that team chemistry for McNeil is the team’s Cookie Club, with players like J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith joining in to eat some cookies and talk about the game.

Will the Cookie Club be able to go on in 2020? McNeil is cautiously optimistic.

“We may have to do some Zoom calls and order in,” he said. “I’m not worried about getting the cookies. I guess it’s being able to eat it with the Cookie Club.”

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