SI

Francisco Lindor Nonchalantly Throws Out Hitter While Mic'd Up for Apple TV

The Mets shortstop makes it look easy.

Patrick Andres

Francisco Lindor prepares to throw out a runner in spring training.
Francisco Lindor prepares to throw out a runner in spring training. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is such a potent hitter—and has been his entire career—that his glove is often taken for granted.

He only has two Gold Gloves on his resume, in 2016 and 2019, but he ranks seventh in defensive WAR among active players. Beyond that, he has the intangible quality of the truly great shortstops—a supreme smoothness in the field.

Take this play Friday evening. While mic'd up by Apple TV, Lindor snared a hard-hit grounder by Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker—and threw Walker out without a hint of a sweat as the announcers and the shortstop laughed.

It was part of a positive start for the Mets, who watched right fielder Juan Soto hit his first home run in the uniform of his new team.

Lindor will try to build on his MVP runner-up season in 2024, while chasing that elusive first Gold Glove in six years.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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