If a Mets fan, you’re in all probability accustomed to the speech. The speech begins like this: “Francisco Lindor is essentially the most underrated participant in baseball.” The pronunciation is absolutely essential right here. It’s important to pronounce the in order that it rhymes with he, and you must put a giant lengthy pause between beneath and rated. These are the foundations. From that start line, the speech usually continues for someplace between 30 seconds and 6 hours, concerning offense, protection, MLB Community rankings, and at the very least two variations of WAR. I’ve by no means been all that positive whether or not the speech was essentially true. Lindor’s greatness has all the time struck me as inconceivable to disregard. As one of many recreation’s premier defenders, in response to each the superior metrics and the attention take a look at, he’s all the time on the spotlight reels. He’s acquired MVP votes in six totally different seasons and gained two Gold Gloves, one Platinum Glove, and three Silver Sluggers. He’s simply 30 years outdated, and he’s already acquired the Twenty fifth-best JAWS rating amongst all shortstops. He’s nonetheless including to his seven-year peak, too. After I began writing this text yesterday, he ranked twenty sixth.
However perhaps I’m a part of the issue. Possibly whereas I’ve been taking it as a right that everybody is aware of about Lindor’s greatness, different individuals have truly been taking Lindor’s greatness as a right. That might be uncool. As such, that is your annual reminder of simply how nice Francisco Lindor is. As a result of we’ve carried out this earlier than, we’ll take a special tack and give attention to issues Lindor hasn’t carried out.
Be an Common Hitter
Lindor is now in his tenth large league season, and he’s by no means as soon as put up a wRC+ beneath 101. We’ve seen Lindor have a down yr on the plate, however even at his worst, he’s nonetheless been an above-average hitter. He graced the pages of FanGraphs for the primary time in 2012 in an article with a title that match completely with the auspiciousness of the second: Midwest League Prospect Replace. In it, Mike Newman known as Lindor “A gold glove shortstop within the making,” but additionally wrote, “Lindor could wind up being a bit BABIP dependent.” Because it seems, even in 2021, when Lindor’s BABIP fell all the best way to .248, seventh lowest amongst all certified gamers, he managed to be an above-average hitter. I don’t convey that as much as rag on Mike. If you happen to bear in mind the start of Lindor’s profession, that though he hit all through the minors, the hype round his glove was understandably louder. However the consistency is exceptional, particularly from a switch-hitter. His profession wRC+ is 126 from the correct facet and 115 from the left facet. He’s solely put up a below-average wRC+ from both facet of the plate twice: He had a 94 wRC+ from the correct facet in 2016, and a 96 mark in ’21. In line with our database, there have been 549 major shortstops who made at the very least a thousand plate appearances within the AL and NL since 1903. Lindor’s profession 119 wRC+ ranks nineteenth.
This season, Lindor’s 125 wRC+ places him on tempo for his fifth profession season above 120.
Hit Fewer Than 12 Residence Runs
Okay, Lindor solely had eight residence runs in the course of the quick 2020 season, however we’re going to let that slide. Lindor hit 12 homers as a 21-year-old rookie in 2015 after which he hit 15 in ’16. Since then, he’s hit at the very least 20 homers in each season the place the followers had been made from flesh, blood, and different gross stuff moderately than cardboard. When the baseballs acquired juicy towards the top of the final decade, he put up three straight 30-homer seasons, together with a 38-dinger bonanza in 2018, and he hasn’t fallen off that a lot because the nice de-unjuicing. His 237 profession residence runs rank tenth all-time amongst shortstops. If we restrict ourselves to residence runs hit whereas truly taking part in shortstop, he strikes as much as sixth place, and he has a small however respectable shot to interrupt Cal Ripken Jr.’s document of 345.
Residence Runs as a Shortstop
SOURCE: Stathead
* Resulting from incomplete information, Banks’ whole is perhaps barely undercounted.
These 237 homers additionally rank twenty third all-time amongst switch-hitters, and Lindor ought to crack the highest 15 early subsequent season. Even when we management for the period, his profession slugging share of .472 works out to a 113 SLG+, placing him twentieth all-time amongst AL/NL shortstops.
This season, Lindor has hit 22 residence runs, tied for nineteenth within the majors. ZiPS initiatives him to succeed in 30 for the fifth time in his profession. If he does, he’ll grow to be simply the third shortstop ever to have at the very least 5 30-homer seasons. The present membership contains Alex Rodriguez with seven seasons and Ernie Banks with 5.
Miss 40 Video games
Beginning in 2015, Lindor ranks within the high 10 in video games performed, plate appearances, defensive innings performed, hits, runs, and stolen bases. He led the AL in plate appearances 3 times (and is at present main the NL). He made his large league debut on June 14, 2015, and performed in 99 of Cleveland’s 100 video games from that time on. Over the subsequent three seasons, he missed simply 10 extra video games. Since an belly pressure restricted Lindor to 125 video games in 2021, he has missed a mere three video games.
Over at Baseball Prospectus, the participant pages have a enjoyable damage tracker field. (To be clear, the damage tracker field is enjoyable; it’s not a field that solely tracks enjoyable accidents.) As a result of the field is small, you virtually all the time must scroll during it to see all of a participant’s accidents. However not on Lindor’s web page. He’s been taking part in within the large leagues for 10 years and his field options accidents going all the best way again to Double-A, however they’re nonetheless not sufficient to overflow the tiny field. No scrolling required! I’m unsure I’ve ever seen that earlier than. As a in no way enjoyable comparability, Mike Trout’s field solely goes again to 2022 earlier than you must begin scrolling.
To this point this season, Lindor has began 113 of the Mets’ 114 video games. On Could 2, the day of his lone non-start, he entered as a pinch-hitter within the backside of the sixth and went 2-for-3 with 4 RBI, together with a walk-off double within the eleventh inning. Until he misses 4 video games down the stretch run, he’s set to grow to be the thirty first participant ever to place up six seasons of at the very least 158 video games performed.
Win an MVP Award
I believe it could be onerous to argue that Lindor has deserved an MVP. Even in 2018, his 7.8 WAR ranked fourth within the AL, dwarfed by the ten.2 Mookie Betts put up. (Lindor positioned sixth that yr.) Lindor has acquired MVP votes in six seasons, however completed as excessive as fifth as soon as. He’s has been setting up his Corridor of Fame case by piling up nice seasons yr after yr, however I don’t assume it’s a slight to say that he’s by no means put collectively the one towering, plain marketing campaign that’s often required to snag an MVP.
I’m bringing it up as a result of he’s acquired an actual likelihood this season. Lindor is at present tied with Ketel Marte for third within the Nationwide League with 5.2 WAR. They path Elly De La Cruz and Shohei Ohtani by a measly half a win. There’s an even bigger hole in response to Baseball Reference WAR, with Lindor at 4.6 and Marte and Ohtani at 5.9, however that’s nonetheless an in depth race, and the winner is sort of actually going to be whichever a kind of 4 gamers can discover one other gear over the stretch run. As top-of-the-line gamers within the league for a full decade now, and with an opportunity to pull the Mets right into a Wild Card berth, Lindor may additionally have a case that appeals to voters who respect narrative. This might be his likelihood.
Make the All-Star Crew This Decade
Yeah, that one stunned me too. There have been solely 4 All-Star Video games within the final 5 years, but it surely’s nonetheless fairly surprising. Lindor began his profession by ending second within the AL Rookie of the 12 months voting, then went 4 years in a row with a top-15 end within the MVP voting, both a Gold Glove or a Silver Slugger, and an All-Star choice. After which after that, he’s gotten a pleasant, lengthy trip each July.
During the last 4 seasons, right here’s the place he’s ranked amongst NL shortstops going into the All-Star break.
Lindor within the First Half
| 12 months | WAR | SS Rank | All-Star Choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2.5 | 4(T) | No |
| 2022 | 3.3 | 3 | No |
| 2023 | 2.9 | 1(T) | Nonetheless No |
| 2024 | 4.2 | 2 | Critically? |
Over the primary 5 years of his profession, he averaged 6.5 WAR per 162 video games. Over the previous 5, he’s averaged 6.0 and completed high 10 within the MVP voting twice, so it’s not like he’s fallen off onerous. This decade, he has 22.9 WAR, the seventh most in baseball. He’s missed out on 4 All-Star picks, whereas the six gamers forward of him have mixed to overlook out on two. Possibly he’s just a bit bit underrated in spite of everything.
