Francisco Lindor is the Mets' clear leader; now it's time for him to become captain

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.

It took nine seasons for David Wright to go from promising 21-year-old rookie, the budding homegrown face of the franchise, to being named the fourth captain in Mets history.

Wright was a natural fit for the job. Incredibly talented, relentless worker, a true leader by example. In Flushing clubhouses with teammates who often lapped him in experience, Wright was unflinchingly accountable, so he became the spokesman for every Mets success and, more importantly, soul-crushing setback, both on and off the field.

In other words, the same exact qualities we’re now seeing in Francisco Lindor.

Wright, who will have his No. 5 raised to the Citi Field rafters in July, obviously is a tough act to follow. But the Mets have found a worthy successor in Lindor, who was brought to New York to rebrand the franchise under new owner Steve Cohen and endured a Big Apple baptism by fire before finally achieving that intended goal.

Trading for Lindor was eye-opening. Giving him that 10-year, $341 million extension on the eve of Opening Day in 2021 was revolutionary. But after mixed reviews through those bumpy early years — we’ll chalk those up to getting used to life in Metsville — Lindor’s unique blend of skill, heart and charisma is unrivaled since the previous captain abruptly was forced to retire with his Citi Field farewell in 2018.

Let’s just say Lindor has the Wright Stuff, and he’s only getting better at every facet of the game, whether it’s at shortstop or his corner locker (the one previously owned by No. 5).

There are some notable differences: Unlike Wright, a Mets first-round pick, Lindor achieved stardom in Cleveland, where he spent six seasons — two more than he’s played in Flushing. Given that Lindor is entering Year Five with the Mets, you could argue that it’s still a bit too soon to slap that C on his chest, even though he’s signed through 2031.

In our mind, those are technicalities. By all accounts, Lindor already is the Mets’ captain, a title he cemented by finishing second in the NL MVP voting to Dodgers unicorn Shohei Ohtani and nearly willing his feisty band of “OMG” underdogs to the World Series.

With Lindor coming off last year’s dream season in which he grinded through a debilitating September back issue — yet another Wright parallel — to deliver the Mets into the playoffs before providing more October heroics, I asked him what he thought about being the team’s de facto captain (at least in my mind, along with a growing chorus of others).

“I do feel like I’m one of the leaders of the team,” Lindor said Saturday. “The captain thing is something that is not up for me to decide. If it does happen, it would be fantastic, it would be an honor, it would be a privilege — something I’ll never take for granted. Something that would put me next to the greats of this organization forever and be very humbling.”

To this point, there’s really only one box left for Lindor to check, and that’s to propel the Mets to a World Series. In these parts, that lands you among the immortals, particularly when there’s a 38-year title drought involved. He’s already done what Cohen had in mind with their early partnership — make the Mets a respectable destination again — and this past winter, the owner dipped into his billions to greatly enhance Lindor’s supporting cast, Cohen Tax be damned.

Does Juan Soto come to the Mets without Lindor’s clubhouse prominence? Maybe that $765 million still gets him to Flushing, or maybe he leans back toward the Bronx to pair with Aaron Judge — the Yankees’ captain — if Lindor isn’t there serving as Citi Field’s North Star.

Lindor understands that his duties with the Mets go far beyond the batter’s box. He’s grown into that pivotal role, flying up the learning curve the past two seasons.

“When I first came to this organization and Steve and Alex [Cohen] brought me here, part of my job description was to help this organization become one of the best ones out there,” Lindor said. “And I have that in the very front of my mind. You got to win, No. 1. But you also got to do things the right way. You got to be accountable and you have to respect your peers, respect the game, and go out there day in and day out and post up.”

The Mets don’t have to worry about Lindor posting up. It’s nearly impossible to give him a day off. After playing 161 games in 2022 and 160 the next year, he was on target to run the table for all 162 last season before the back issue struck like a lightning bolt out of a clear blue sky.

Lindor showed no signs of fatigue through the first five months and headed into the stretch run after a monster August (.325 batting average, .939 OPS). If not for the back problem that finally sidelined him for nearly two weeks, Lindor’s MVP candidacy as a brilliant two-way player, compared to Ohtani’s specialized DH role, would have been greatly enhanced, perhaps even swaying a number of voters.

But that’s not Lindor’s primary goal. Last year’s MVP push was a byproduct of him being the engine of the Mets’ joyride to October. Moving him to the top of the order, where he soon became the lineup’s true catalyst, seemed obvious after the fact. What better place to put a leader than the leadoff spot? Sure enough, Lindor was a spark there, too, as the Mets went 71-48 with him hitting first (including the playoffs).

Like everything else, it was a responsibility that Lindor embraced and excelled at. Now he’s got to bring that energy all over again and inspire it from his teammates, this time with the extra weight of championship expectations from the jump.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to go out there and get it done,” he said.

Lindor’s capable of showing the Mets the way, as captains do — whether they’re wearing the C or not.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.