PORT STREET LUCIE — Just a few days into spring training last year, Francisco Lindor felt discomfort in his right elbow while swinging and quickly knew it wasn’t going to resolve itself.
After the Mets’ final game on Oct. 1, the shortstop underwent imaging tests that revealed bone spurs in his elbow. Surgery was then performed and he recovered in a short period of time.
Lindor is glad he waited, despite the pain he experienced swinging and whiffing throughout the season.
“I didn’t want to do an MRI or X-ray.” [during the season] Because I knew they weren’t going to let me play,” Lindor said Thursday before practice at Clover Park.
The season went well for Lindor, becoming the fourth Mets player (joining Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, and David Wright) to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same year.
“That’s part of being a professional athlete,” he said. “You have aches and pains, but you control them.”
Overall, Lindor hit .254/.336/.470 with 31 home runs, 98 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases.
He was a Gold Glove finalist as a shortstop, but finished second to Dansby Swanson in National League voting.
Now, he will return for the first time since joining before the 2021 season as the anchor for a team that is not considered a serious threat in the National League.
This comes after a disappointing 75-win season and a lackluster offseason in which the Mets acquired Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in trades.
“Every year I climb the ladder,” said Lindor, whose $341 million contract runs through 2031. “It may look like we’re going backwards to some people, but I’ve bought into the concept of a long-term contract. I’m not here for a year or two. We’re moving in the right direction. I’m always making sure I’m moving forward. I’ve changed people along the way, but that’s part of the process. I’m fully on board. I respect what they’re doing and I win. I’m here for it, and I continue to feel good that we’re heading in the right direction.”
Lindor, 30, has been in the game long enough to understand that the only thing that matters is the perception of the players in the clubhouse. External expectations are irrelevant to him.
He listed two teams that advanced to the World Series last season.
“I don’t think anyone expected the Diamondbacks, but they certainly did,” Lindor said. “I’m sure not too many people had high expectations for Rangers, but they did. It’s like everyone’s in the same boat. It’s not the external expectations that matter. It’s something you believe you can do.
“Anyone in the big leagues can play that game, but it’s about who can play it better. Who can play the game the right way every day and who can play the game more consistently? At the end of the day. , October is an opportunity and anything can happen in October.”
Lindor, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil are the core of a Mets lineup that finished 18th in MLB in scoring last season.
The Mets need contributions from young players, which is why Lindor is glad Brett Batty and Mark Vientos connected with him over the winter.
Lindor worked with each player, with Batty and Vientos being the primary third basemen in camp, with Vientos also included in the DH lineup.
“They were focused,” Lindor said. “They’re very particular about the details of what they need to improve on, and I’m really excited to see how they do and what they do this year. This is an important year for them, because I Because we all know what they can do. They know what they can do. Now they have to do it day in and day out. I want them to know what they can do. I am excited.”
