NY Mets: It’s Time To Appreciate Fransisco Lindor

The 2023 4th place, 63-74 .460 New York Mets are really just trying to finish not in last place at this point. Here’s one player who, although the team displayed its inability to play decent baseball, has been a solid contributor and a sight for sore eyes.

While the team has played abysmal ball all season long, with it struggles as early as a cold April start, the Mets knew early on guys would have to over compensate for the loss of elite closer Edwin Diaz, who went down with a torn ACL celebrating team Puerto Rico’s win over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic this year.

Diaz was nothing short of spectacular in 2022, where he dominated in 61 games played, a 3-1 record and a 1.31 ERA with 32 saves. He was arguably baseball’s best closer and when his injury happened it forced the team to make adjustments and created a massive void that needed to be filled. Guys such as Jeff McNeil also had a huge year in 2022, as McNeil, last year’s National League batting champion, hit 9 home runs and 62 RBIs, batting .326 on the year, disappointed the following season. McNeil simmered down this year, with 6 home runs, 48 RBIs and batted a mere .268.

The lack of offensive production from some guys was certainly evident, however, there’s one guy who quietly made the best of an all but lost Mets season.

Enter Shortstop Fransisco Lindor. Lindor, 29, has been on the come up since 2022 after he disappointed his first season in New York in 2021.

Lindor batted .230 in 2021 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs after coming over from Cleveland where he was the main source of run production, as he batted .284 with 32 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2019, one of his career best years.

With the Mets in 2022, he looked to have a bounce back season after his disappointing 2021. He hit 26 home runs and drove in 107, batting .270 with a .339 OBP. It suggested the bad times were over, and Lindor wowed with his defense, which can simply go unnoticed sometimes due to the situation of the team playing horribly.

This season, Lindor has also made several impressive defensive grabs while getting it done offensively as well. He’s batting .250 and has 25 home runs and 81 RBIs, with a .333 OBP.

To put things into perspective, it’s easy to let players go unnoticed for the good job they are doing simply because the team is playing downright awfully. However bad the team looks to be, it’s important to recognize a job well done. To say Lindor has done well is simply an understatement. He has proved he can perform in one of the toughest cities to play in and given the Mets what they needed.