The 2021 Mets season was so joyless that not even Mr. Smile could save it.
Lindor earned his record-breaking $341 million contract with the Mets thanks to his Gold Glove defense, savvy baserunning, switch-hitting capabilities, and effervescent personality. But that reputation had been entirely established in Cleveland, a far cry from the pressure cooker of New York City.
So when Lindor began his Mets tenure with a dreadful slump, fans immediately expressed their dismay. The shortstop was booed just weeks into the season, well before he had settled into his new surroundings.
Make no mistake: Lindor’s first 43 games with the Mets, in which he slashed .178/.288/.261 with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs, represented the worst stretch of his career thus far. Once he overcame those early struggles, Lindor resembled the player who was expected to be the face of the franchise.
Ignore those who would lead you to believe that Lindor’s first season with the Mets was anything but a typical transition to the Big Apple. Based on his finish to the 2021 campaign, Lindor’s 2022 stats will be more in line with his career averages.
Flawless Fielding
It took a while for his bat to come around, but Lindor’s glove was stellar all year long. Lindor’s presence up the middle, in addition to a greater emphasis on shifting, transformed the Mets from one of the worst fielding teams in the majors to a respectable defensive unit. After finishing the abbreviated 2020 season with a team DRS of -21, the Mets ranked ninth among all teams with 44 Defensive Runs Saved in 2021.
In contrast to the limited range of Amed Rosario, Lindor gobbled up balls to his left and right with aplomb. Outs Above Average is a cumulative stat, and yet Lindor ranked second among all players (not just shortstops) with 20 OAA despite missing 36 games with an oblique injury.
Lindor’s fantastic fielding netted him yet another selection as a Gold Glove finalist. Had he remained healthy all season, he might have beaten out Brandon Crawford for the award.
Undervalued Offense
As we know, Lindor’s first month and a half in Flushing was so shockingly unproductive that his final offensive numbers were destined to disappoint. He did, however, find his rhythm toward the end of May. Over his final 82 games, Lindor posted an OPS of .833, an identical figure to his career OPS in Cleveland. He was playing some of his best baseball of the year when he got hurt in mid-July, and the Mets took a tumble shortly afterwards. The Mets, who were 48-41 and leading the division when Lindor got hurt, went 14-22 and slid all the way to third place with their star shortstop on the Injured List.
Lindor caught fire again in September with his oblique fully healed, but by then it was too late to revive his team’s postseason chances. In 27 September games — including his 3-homer outburst against the Yankees — Mr. Smile drove in 25 runs while slashing .267/.359/.574. His nine home runs in the season’s final month put him at 20 for the year, making him just the second shortstop in Mets history (Asdrubal Cabrera in 2016) to hit 20 or more dingers in a single season.
Even before that spectacular September, Lindor was finding small but meaningful ways to contribute with the bat. His .954 OPS with runners in scoring position for the season led the team, and he also recorded the highest single-season walk rate (11.1%) of his career.
Lindor’s first season in Queens has been likened to that of Carlos Beltrán, an apt comparison. It also bears striking similarities to Curtis Granderson’s first go-round in orange and blue. Granderson’s contract (4 years, $60 million) was not as massive as Lindor’s, and he was already past his prime when he joined the Mets. But like Lindor, Granderson stumbled out of the gate and was just slightly above average offensively when he came to Flushing. Then, in 2015, his second year as a Met, Granderson reinvented himself as a disciplined leadoff hitter and helped bring the Mets to the cusp of a championship. Lindor shares Granderson’s leadership qualities, and with any luck, he will be as valuable as Granderson in his sophomore season in New York.
Searle’s Final Say
No one would argue that Francisco Lindor’s first Mets season was wholly satisfactory. He floundered at the start, was too sensitive to the early booing, and made errors in judgment — including his clubhouse confrontation with Jeff McNeil.
In spite of those struggles, Lindor is the type of player any franchise would love to have up the middle. Baseball is a game of inherent failure, and even superstars endure extended periods of futility. Now that he’s had a full season to adjust to the pressures of the Big Apple, Lindor should be more at ease both on and off the field.
