The Crane Pool Forum

BEFORE EVERY GAME, Francisco Lindor flits around the New York Mets' clubhouse, stopping at the lockers of green rookies and grizzled veterans, players from the United States and Venezuela and Japan and Cuba and the Dominican Republic. It's his ritual now, one performed out of equal parts desire and duty.

"I look forward to it every day," Mets left-hander Sean Manaea said. "The consistency, the positivity -- he really is like that every day."

He does it after the game, too, regardless of the circumstances, and whether it's with a pat on the back, a dap, a joke, a compliment, a wisecrack, a question or an embrace, Lindor seemingly manages the impossible: marrying extreme levels of wholesomeness with a sincerity that keeps it from growing cheesy. Earlier this month, after the Seattle Mariners held the Mets to one run in a three-game sweep, Lindor "is just walking around and saying: turn the page, enjoy the flight, enjoy your families, we'll get 'em Tuesday," said Mets reliever Adam Ottavino. "He is just hugging everybody, slapping five with everybody, making sure that we're all together. Because that's exactly who he is."

To those unfamiliar with the rhythms of a baseball season, Lindor's dismissal of a bad series could suggest a lack of care or urgency. In reality, the opposite is true. Lindor is the metronome. Now 30 years old and in his 10th major league season, he is acutely attuned to what the Mets' clubhouse needs at any given moment -- and, in fact, those inside it give him credit for launching the team back into playoff contention after a hellacious tailspin earlier this year.

This position in Queens didn't necessarily come easily for Lindor. After six drama-free years with Cleveland, his first season with the Mets in 2021 saw Lindor wrap his hands around the neck of his double-play partner in the tunnel during a game, flash a thumbs-down sign to fans who had booed his substandard performance and generally fail to ingratiate himself in the manner of a star who signed a 10-year, $341 million contract. The next year, he was featured prominently in the Mets' renaissance as they won 101 games. Last season, they flopped, having baseball's highest-ever payroll at more than $400 million but finishing nowhere close to even a .500 record. And now, in a year when little was expected, Lindor has grown into the best version of himself.

Which is saying something, because for a decade now, Lindor has been one of the finest players in baseball, building the sort of résumé to pave a path 200 miles from Queens to Cooperstown. He is nearly halfway to 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. He plays shortstop with grace and flash and consistency, with precious-metal gloves -- two gold, one platinum -- to show for it. In baseball history, only four shortstops finished their first 10 years with more Baseball-Reference wins above replacement (WAR) than Lindor's 48.0: Arky Vaughan, Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr. and Pee Wee Reese.

Since 2015, Lindor ranks third among all MLB players in FanGraphs WAR behind only Mookie Betts and Mike Trout. And both by WAR and impact, this could be his greatest season yet. He tops the National League leaderboard, ahead of Shohei Ohtani and Ketel Marte, is one of seven players to have not missed a game this season and Thursday became the first shortstop ever with three seasons of 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases. He has found the sweet spot of personal and professional growth, embracing the responsibilities of being the face of a New York sports franchise while staying true to who he aspires to be. And with it have come the MVP chants at Citi Field, three letters that tell as much of a story about who he is as what he has done.

"It brings a smile to my face because it would be a dream," Lindor said, "but I understand we've still got a long way to go, and I've got to put up way better numbers. If the fans feel that way, it's fantastic. But I got to continue to climb. I got to continue to help the team win.

"MVPs are not won in June and July. MVPs are won in August and September."

In baseball history, only four shortstops finished their first 10 years with more Baseball-Reference wins above replacement (WAR) than Lindor's 48.0: Arky Vaughan, Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr. and Pee Wee Reese.

Edgy MD wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 11:53 am
What really impresses me is when, after he makes an out — even sometimes after he looks bad — as the next batter digs in, he sometimes grabs the on-deck guy and the guy in the hole, huddles them up and tells them what he's just learned about the pitcher.

G-Fafif wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 11:03 am In baseball history, only four shortstops finished their first 10 years with more Baseball-Reference wins above replacement (WAR) than Lindor's 48.0: Arky Vaughan, Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr. and Pee Wee Reese.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 2:24 pm I also agree that Lindor is a great player. It could be difficult to properly appreciate him because so much of his value is in his defense. He's about as good a fielding shortstop as there is, but without necessarily being spectacular looking in the field. And shortstop is one of the two or three most important every-day playing positions in baseball, maybe even the most important.

nymr83 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2024 10:35 pm

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ↑Thu Aug 22, 2024 2:24 pm I also agree that Lindor is a great player. It could be difficult to properly appreciate him because so much of his value is in his defense. He's about as good a fielding shortstop as there is, but without necessarily being spectacular looking in the field. And shortstop is one of the two or three most important every-day playing positions in baseball, maybe even the most important.

There is a lot of season left to play, but right now I would say Lindor is the MVP. The other candidates have missed a significant number of games or have sat comfortably on the bench with a martini while their teammates slogged through over 1,000 innings of playing defense.