Following the teams first full-squad workout Monday morning in Port St. Lucie, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor met with the media via Zoom for the first time this spring.
Among many topics, Lindor was asked about his thoughts on the current state of baseball, and what he feels needs to be changed. One point that Lindor leaned heavily on, is the analytic movement that’s taken over baseball the past couple of seasons.
Lindor mentioned that while he isn’t completely against the use of analytics, he feels they’re taking over the game too much.
He said, “analytics are great, you know. They are good, but they don’t need to take over the game. That’s something that’s just not right. Let the players play the game.”
The sweet swinging slugger touched on a couple of examples such as a starting pitcher being pulled from the game too early, or a batter being pinch-hit for late in the game facing a pitcher he is 0-for-10 against in favor of a teammate who has two hits versus said pitcher.
“As an athlete, as a competitor, you want to go out there and beat that guy. He beats you ten times, I have to beat him once, a least. Heart says a lot and determination says a lot more. Analytics are good, but to a certain extent,” Lindor added.
Lindor also said that he feels while the league has been trying to speed the game up more, analytics have ultimately slowed the game down. At the end of the day though, all Lindor wants is to make the game more enjoyable and entertaining for the fans (hopefully) in the stands.
“We want this game to continue to be America’s game, and have a lot of excitement. We want everyone to make money, not just the players.. And we want the fans to have a great time at the stadium. We’re performers, we want the fans to have a great time.”
Whether you agree with him or not, you can tell Lindor truly cares about the future of the game of baseball. Very early on in his Mets tenure, the bright smiling superstar has shown he’s not only a leader on the field, but also off it.
