Mets Card of the Week: 2020 Jeff McNeil

2020 TOPPS HERITAGE JEFF MCNEIL

This heritage issue is an homage to the 1971 set. The black borders look terrific, even if they’re a nightmare to collectors. This was also the set that first contained in-game action cards for players, which makes this Jeff McNeil offering seem so right. We think of McNeil as a bat-first player but in my mind, he has a distinctive throwing motion that this card somewhat captures. You look at this and you can see the follow through on his throw to first. Just a strong card all the way around.

And this card was chosen today as a springboard to a topic that should be discussed here and that’s the news from yesterday of the passing of Mets Hall of Famer Bud Harrelson at age 79. Harrelson got the COTW treatment earlier this offseason with his iconic 1970 card. I also wrote a COTW piece with his 1969 card. And Doug Parker did one with his Milk Duds box/card. He’s been well-represented in this space, as a guy who was a starter on two World Series teams should.

Like many, my favorite memory of Harrelson was the 1973 NLCS and the play with Pete Rose. That by itself was memorable. But I watched that game with my mom, who didn’t often sit down and watch the Mets. And the memory of the game and the fight is forever linked with my parent. It didn’t necessarily mean that much in the moment. Rather, it’s something that’s taken on extra significance as the years have gone by. Today, it doesn’t take long to hear Harrelson’s name to start thinking about my mom. And that’s a very nice thing.

But let’s get back to baseball cards. Harrelson’s 1971 Topps was one of those aforementioned action shots. But unlike the 2020 Heritage McNeil, which had a tight focus and there was no doubt who the star was, the ’71 Harrelson looked, while no doubt zoomed in as far as technology of the day would permit, like it was taken from a galaxy far, far away.

It’s a very cool card, with all of the people involved in it. But if you’re a Harrelson fan, it doesn’t offer a close view of him, which was at least part of the hook of cards in the first place. As a Mets fan – but not one especially of Harrelson – I dig this 1971 offering. But it’s completely understandable if a big Harrelson fan feels differently.

Finally, there seems to me a little connection between Harrelson and McNeil, besides the fact that they were infielders for the Mets. Harrelson’s 1976 card was a film-noir shot, with him in late-day shadows, sporting a moustache and long sideburns. While McNeil has never had that combination – he favors the all over 10-day growth look – there’s something about the ’76 Harrelson card that makes me think of McNeil.

My hope is we see a full season from McNeil like we saw the last one-third of his 2023 campaign. That is, the guy who pulls the ball with power to the outfield. As for Harrelson, my hope is that I can find my long-lost copy of “How to Play Better Baseball,” that I got back in that magical year of ’73.