On Second Thought, Francisco Lindor
Mets giving subtle hints at lineup early
Image via Anthony DiComo, MLB.com
The first rule of spring training is you should never over-analyze spring training. The second rule of spring training is the only thing you look at is to make sure the players are healthy. Essentially, that’s it.
That said, even early on in spring training, we do get some different ideas about what the team thinks about different players. It’s only two games thus far, but the top of the Mets lineup is very interesting.
The Mets not only have an embarrassment of riches in their lineup, but they are truly the envy of every MLB organization when it comes to lead-off hitters. In Michael Conforto, Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo, the Mets have four players who have EXCELLED atop the lineup.
Of that quartet, early indications are Nimmo is going to lead-off. In fact, Mets manager Luis Rojas said Nimmo was going to be the team’s primary lead-off hitter in 2021.
That leaves the question as to where everyone else should hit in the lineup. While we are only two games in, the Mets seem poised to put superstar Lindor second in their lineup.
In his career, Lindor has mostly been a lead-off hitter. After that, he has mostly batted third in the lineup. That said, he does have experience hitting second. It’s only happened 108 times in his career, and he has hit .285/.337/.461. However, we shouldn’t take too much away from that sample size.
There are arguments both for and against Lindor batting second. Primary among the reasons to bat him second is his being a switch-hitter. By slotting Lindor second, he can allow the Mets to switch between right and left-handed batters. For example:
CF Nimmo (L)
SS Lindor (S)
RF Conforto (L)
1B Alonso (R)
LF Smith (L)
3B Davis (R)
2B McNeil (L)
C McCann (R)
No, that may not be the ideal lineup, and this is not likely going to be the lineup on an everyday basis. This is just an example of how putting Lindor second in the order allows that to work. Putting him in his traditional lead-off spot doesn’t allow the team to do the L-R-L alternation throughout the lineup.
Ultimately, there are different permutations of the line-up, but you can see how Lindor batting second makes the entire line-up flow. That said, Lindor is not the ideal second hitter on this team.
In recent years, there are studies that indicate your best hitter should actually bat second in the lineup, with Baseball Prospectus being one of many outlets providing a detailed analysis as to the reasons why. The problem with Lindor is he is arguably not the Mets best hitter.
Of course, that is only part of the equation. As we know, there is a very real human element to baseball, and the Mets will hopefully keep Lindor around for the rest of his career. Part of that is finding a place for him to thrive and feel comfortable.
At the moment, we are not quite sure where that will be for him. It could be second, and it could be elsewhere.
The biggest takeaway here is that this is still Spring Training, and this lineup will remain a work in progress. In the end, what is most important is the Mets find the right line-up to allow Lindor and all of their players to thrive.
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I like Nimmo leading off with Lindor second, but I don't like McNeil in the bottom half of the lineup either. Unpopular opinion, but what about putting the pitcher 8th (let's call it deGrom in this case) and Nimmo 9th like a double lead-off. Something like:
2B McNeil (L)
SS Lindor (S)
RF Conforto (L)
1B Alonso (R)
LF Smith (L)
3B Davis (R)
C McCann (R)
SP deGrom (L)
CF Nimmo (L)
As good as Nimmo is, he is the 6th or 7th best hitter in this lineup. No way he should hit at the top of the order.