FRANCISCO LINDOR

Player Data: Age: 29 (10/14/1993), B/T: S/R

Primary Stats: 160 G, 687 PA, 602 AB, .254/.336/.470/.806, 153 H, 31 HR, 98 RBI, 2 3B, 31 SB
Advanced Stats: 121 wRC+, 19.9% K%, 9.6% BB%, .277 BABIP, .345 xwOBA, 6.0 fWAR, 6.0 bWAR

2023 Salary: $32 million

Grade: A

2023 Review

Like so many who came before him, Francisco Lindor took a year to feel comfortable playing in New York. His first season with the Mets was up and down, but over the last two years, the shortstop has shown why he is one of the best players at his position across all of baseball. Lindor’s impact, both on and off the field, has met or even exceeded the expectations of so many.

While he finished the season with an impressive stat line, his start to the campaign was far from smooth. Lindor got off to a slow start, especially as it pertained to his batting average, as he finished the month of April slashing .218/.316/.446/.762 in 27 games. Even with those underwhelming numbers, Lindor was still able to contribute with 21 runs batted in during that stretch.

The four-time All-Star began to pick his play up in the months of May and June, helping him finish the first half with a .239 batting average, 19 home runs, 60 runs batted in and a .798 OPS in 90 games. When it became official that Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was not going to play in the All-Star game, many felt Lindor deserved to take his spot. But Geraldo Perdomo of the Arizona Diamondbacks was selected to be going to the festivities in Seattle instead.

Lindor hit the ground running to begin the second half, despite the organization’s decision to trade some of their most talented players like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Lindor finished the month of July slashing .276/.382/.540 with five home runs, 11 runs batted in and eight stolen bases. It appeared that Lindor had officially turned the corner.

He hit .305 in the month of August and was able to continue that level of production over the last month of the year, helping him slash .274/.357/.460/.817 with 12 home runs, 38 runs batted in, 18 stolen bases and 30 walks in the final 70 games of the season. Lindor’s season may have gone under the radar, but he continues to show why the Mets are fortunate to have him on their side.

For the first time in his nine-year career, Lindor was part of the 30-30 club (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season). He was just one of three players to accomplish that in 2023, with the others being Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves and Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks. Lindor was also the fourth Met to become a member of that club, joining David Wright, Howard Johnson (did it three times) and Darryl Strawberry.

All of this came as Lindor remained one of the better defensive shortstops in the game, too.

2024 Outlook

This upcoming off-season for the Mets is one that is going to see a lot of change, especially in some important areas. The organization will need to hire a new manager, one they hope will have as positive of a relationship with the players as Buck Showalter did. With that being said, Mets owner Steve Cohen will rely on his leaders to take charge in this transitional period.

One of those leaders is Lindor, a role that he has thrived in throughout his time in Cleveland and now New York. People may forget that he was an All-Star from 2016-2019, and he finished as high as fifth in American League MVP voting during that stretch. Lindor will be entering his age 30 season, so he is more than capable of reaching that level of play again.

If the Mets want to achieve anything significant in 2024, Lindor not only needs to be on the field, but he needs to continue to play at an All-Star level. While he has not been recognized as an All-Star during his time in New York, he has certainly played like one. If Lindor remains healthy and the lineup has a bit more stability, he could have his best season yet in the blue and orange.