Francisco Lindor at the center of Mets' surge
Francisco Lindor of the Mets connects on his eighth-inning three-run home run against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field on Saturday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
There is a natural sting to not being appreciated, to seeing your efforts taken for granted, to watching others go further despite doing less.
Some players let that sting harden into resentment, others view it as motivation, and still others allow it to erode their passion for the game.
Then there’s Francisco Lindor.
Let’s not mince words: Lindor is inarguably one of the best players in baseball right now. He came into Saturday’s 7-3 win over the Rockies ranked fourth in the National League in fWAR and joined Shohei Ohtani and Jose Ramirez as one of only three players with at least 17 homers and at least 17 stolen bases. He is the fourth-best shortstop in baseball as calculated by wins above replacement and the second-best in the NL.
He’s managed to compile these stats despite hitting .197 in the first month of the season and, if you’re wondering what he’s done for you lately, he hit a three-run homer that gave the Mets some much-needed breathing room in the eighth inning in Saturday’s 7-3 victory over Colorado. He’s roughly on pace for his second straight 30/30 season.
And for some unfathomable reason, the rest of the baseball world has shrugged: He’s not an All-Star this year and hasn’t been one in his entire tenure with the Mets.
So what’s it going to be? Resentment? Motivation? Resignation?
How about none of the above.
“I don’t need more motivation,” he said Saturday. “To me, motivation is something you try to find when you don’t really want to do things, but I have the discipline to go out there day in and day out and do what I’ve got to do, stay focused on my daily job, and if people want to recognize me, great. And if they don’t want to recognize me, it is what it is.
“As long as I win ballgames and do my job to help this franchise to be the best franchise in the world, I’m happy with that.”
Those are pretty words, but maybe the most surprising thing is that when Lindor says them, they’re believable.
Things weren’t easy when Lindor came to Flushing in 2021: He had that hefty 10-year, $341 million contract, committed some regrettable gaffes and, at least initially, underperformed. He needed to mature into his leadership role, and the growing pains were tough. But they also seemed to imbue him with a self-contained steadiness, an understanding that no matter what the world around you believes, the only person stuck with your actions is yourself. It’s a valuable lesson and apparently one that has allowed him to divorce performance from perception.
In many ways, it’s a notion that has spread throughout the clubhouse. Lindor often is seen talking to other players, trading information and helping to establish a greater sense of camaraderie. He’s been pivotal in this scorching run that has taken the Mets from 11 games under .500 on June 2 to four games over on July 13.
The team, which has only one All-Star in Pete Alonso, is short on accolades, but what matters is what happens at the end. Trophies are great; rings are far better. After all, no one was penciling in the Mets as World Series contenders this year. If they’re going to do anything, it’s going to be without the hoopla of, say, the Dodgers or even the Yankees.
For what it’s worth, after a rough few weeks early in the season, Lindor did start getting recognition at home. During Lindor’s horrific April slump, the Flushing faithful did something that felt very not New York: They gave him a standing ovation as a form of encouragement. His teammates consistently laud his efforts, and Carlos Mendoza has raved about him since spring training.
“I keep asking myself the same thing,” Mendoza said when asked why Lindor’s achievements aren’t more readily valued by the baseball world at large. “I don’t think people appreciate or recognize what he brings to the baseball game, to the baseball field, what it means to this team . . . The joy, the passion, the care, the willingness to continue to get better, this guy never stops. He’s always looking for ways to improve, and that’s a special player, a special person.
I’m just glad that I get the opportunity to watch him play a big-league shortstop for the New York Mets.”
Lindor isn’t perfect, but he’s certainly an All-Star-caliber player, and it’s a shame he won’t be in Arlington this coming week. He plans to spend time with family instead, he said.
“I’m ready to turn the page,” he said Tuesday. “I’m focused on this [team] and it’s something I don’t want to continue to talk about, because at the end of the day, it is what it is.”
In short, whether or not Lindor is recognized is beyond his control. The tangible stuff, though?The hard work and the production? That, he has a handle on.
And right now, as the Mets try to sneak up on the playoff race, that’s all that matters.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.