Mets star Francisco Lindor wasn’t an All-Star this year, but if he continues to perform like this, he should be a candidate for MVP.
If it were up to me, it would start today.
Granted, right now the award seems likely to go to the incomparable DH Shohei Ohtani, who is once again in another offbeat performance for Los Angeles, but Lindor deserves at least some credit, so here are 850 words about the best player on a team that’s in top form and suddenly a sure bet for the playoffs.
Lindor, who has been unstoppable since manager Carlos Mendoza selected him as the leadoff hitter 56 games ago, hit two home runs and drove in five more. The rising Mets once again defeated AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole and his pinstriped mop-up crew on Wednesday night. The Queens natives beat the Yankees 12-3 to record their fourth straight win of the season, but the 48,760 fans at Yankee Stadium, once again sold out, seemed mostly disappointed.
Though the Yankees are 5.5 games ahead, there’s little debate as to who is the better team in New York today. The underpowered Yankees are just trying to get by with a lineup featuring two superstars, and that’s unlikely to work against the better teams.
Meanwhile, the Mets have a lot of clear advantages, and at the top of that list is Lindor. He’s done things most players would never dream of: He’s one of 14 players with 15 home runs, 15 stolen bases and 25 doubles by the All-Star break, one of just two this year along with Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. This is even more remarkable considering Lindor was basically an outing machine in April.
“My guy is doing something really special,” Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea said of Lindor. “He’s definitely [MVP] conversation.”
Every now and then, you hear talk about how overrated Lindor is, usually during a bad April and Lindor’s performance gets even worse.
Or we hear about how overpaid he is (it’s understandable why this is a favorite complaint of sports fans now that baseball players are making money like lottery winners).
But that talk needs to stop here and now.
Salary is a tricky topic, but among the players who have won big amounts of money in baseball ($150 million or more), I believe Lindor’s contract is far more reasonable than others, and I would argue that rather than being overvalued, Lindor is undervalued.
If he’s so overrated, why didn’t he join Witt and about 70 other players (including replacements) in the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas? The excuse I’ve heard is that the National League is stocked with shortstops. I can see why the exciting Ellie de la Cruz was made the backup for Trea Turner. But what about C.J. Abrams? Sure, he has great potential. But it’s not a contest. It’s not a contest yet.
A week later, Lindor ranks third among NL position players with a 4.1 WAR (sure to rise after Wednesday night), trailing only Ohtani (5.6) and Arizona’s Ketel Marte (5.2). Outside of the first month, Lindor is actually better than anyone else.
“I’m feeling good right now,” Lindor said. “I’m just trying to keep it going as long as I can.”
Lindor is batting .304/.565 and playing stellar defense since being promoted to leadoff hitter 56 games ago. His eight outs above average are third among MLB shortstops, behind Anthony Volpe (10) and De La Cruz (9).
Remember when people complained last year when he went 30-30 as a great shortstop? (He didn’t even make the All-Star team last year, and after four with Cleveland, he hasn’t made it once with the Mets.) I get that Mets fans were a little down last year, but this was supposed to be a transitional year for the Queens, and Lindor leads a lineup that’s as deep as anyone’s.
The Mets are not a team in transition. They’re not a team looking beyond 2025, and it’s not too late now. They have depth, a very solid starting rotation, and with Jeff McNeil back on his feet (and showing unexpected power), they have threats at nearly every position in the lineup.
Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos followed Lindor with homers, but it wasn’t just the stars. Backup Tyrone Taylor went 5-for-10 against Cole, which prompted Mendoza to use him as the ninth batter, but now he’s 8-for-13. Taylor also hit a home run. He’s the Mets’ Rafael Devers, the Cole-killing rock.
Lindor has been great against just about everyone lately. Ohtani will likely become the first DH to win MVP, but if he keeps this up, Lindor could join Kirk Gibson and Bryce Harper as the rare star player to win MVP after losing in the Midsummer Classic. This conversation is just getting started.
