Francisco Lindor's Effect on Mets Could Be Tremendous

Frankie should bring Mets up to snuff on both sides of the chalk

Francisco Lindor is the shortstop for the New York Mets. Still having a tough time wrapping my head around that. In a good way, of course.

This is one of the premier young players in the game, and the Mets secured his services — as well as frontline right-hander Carlos Carrasco — from Cleveland for what equates to a song and dance.

Two inferior, albeit very talented middle infielders in Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez, and two higher-end prospects in righty Josh Wolf and centerfielder Isaiah Greene locked up a guy who, since 2017, has been the seventh-most valuable player (by fWAR; 19.7) in MLB.

Unreal. Cookie is also an outstanding addition, no doubt (we’ll talk about him in-depth later this weekend). But, for now, let’s discuss Frankie.

Following a thrilling breakout (.306/.356/.454, 27 homers, 116 wRC+, 9.5 fWAR over 257 games between 2015 and 2016), Lindor began sacrificing a few batting average percentage points in exchange for some additional pop.

That compromise paid off handsomely.

From 2017 through 2019, the Indians’ former first-round pick (2011, eighth overall) hit .278/.342/.514 with 103 home runs, 62 stolen bases, a 14.0% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate, 121 wRC+, and 17.9 fWAR, transforming himself from an exciting, smooth-fielding contact-hitter into a full-spectrum of baseball dynamics.

Lindor enjoyed a peak 2018 campaign, cranking 38 home runs with 132 wRC+, a .381 expected weighted on-base average (92nd percentile in MLB), 25 swiped bags, 7.7 wins above replacement (fourth in MLB), and +12 outs above average (fourth among shortstops).

Just the epitome of a five-tool player.

On the subject of defense — which is a target area for improvement this spring, per Mets skipper Luis Rojas this week — Lindor’s presence in the infield should bring the Mets’ grading curve, and performance, up considerably in that facet.

Since 2017, Lindor’s accumulated a total of +36 OAA at shortstop, including aggregated totals of +16 OAA moving to his left, +3 to his right, and +11 moving in.

If and when the Mets choose to employ a glove-first approach in the infield — think Dominic Smith at first base, Lindor at short, and Jeff McNeil and Luis Guillorme interchangeable at second and third — groundballs won’t stand much of a chance.

Since 2019, Marcus Stroman (53.7%), Noah Syndergaard (48.0%), and Jacob deGrom (43.9%) rank third, 12th, and 25th, respectively, in groundball percentage among qualified MLB starters.

Adding Lindor as the centerpiece of the infield should accentuate those strengths. And lest we forget the exciting wrinkle he adds to the batting order.

Since 2019, the Mets’ team 108 wRC+ ranks fifth in baseball. Adding Lindor to the already existing core of Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, McNeil, Smith, et al, could be an over-the-top move for this group.

Exciting times.

Remember to sign up for our free email list! Every article, in your inbox upon publishing.