How Francisco Lindor Is Embracing The Mets In Year-Two

How Francisco Lindor is embracing the Mets and New York in his second season in Queens.

What a difference a year makes.

Francisco Lindor, who received boos from fans last year, is getting MVP chants already in 2022, and the Mets have played only 12 games so far.

Lindor has been splendid so far this season, already at 0.9 fWAR, to go along with a .310/.442/.619 triple slash, .462 wOBA and 208 wRC+. 

Those numbers will likely come down as the season progresses, but the biggest takeaway so far is that Lindor looks comfortable as he embarks on his second year in Queens.

On Tuesday at Citi Field, Lindor was a key contributor in the Mets’ win over the San Francisco Giants during Game 1 of a doubleheader.

The shortstop tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with a double, then gave New York a walk-off win in the 10th inning with a liner up the middle.

FRANCISCO LINDOR WALKS IT OFF‼️

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/stsu2XmhE1

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 19, 2022

It’s no secret that Lindor didn’t set the world on fire in 2021. His 2.7 fWAR, while not awful, was a far cry from 2015-19 where the infielder had at least 4.0 fWAR each season, including an outrageous 2018 where his fWAR was creeping closer to 8.0.

It was further magnified, as Lindor went from playing in Cleveland to the bright lights of New York City and was the first massive move in the Steve Cohen era, so the expectations were enormous.

Lindor was often called a bust throughout last season, likely due to the 10-year, $341 million contract extension he signed after the trade to New York.

When that much money is at stake, it’s easy to panic, but 2021 was likely a transitional year for Lindor and many other players. The 2020 season was shortened to 60 games as COVID-19 swept around the world, then Lindor was traded from the only team he ever knew, and now had enormous expectations thrust upon him.

One year in, and he looks a lot more relaxed already and can hopefully return to the Lindor of old.

A lot of people like to compare Lindor’s first year struggles to that of Carlos Beltran, who signed with the Mets prior to the 2005 season, and had a down year in his first campaign in blue and orange.

Beltran was coming off back-to-back 6.0+ fWAR seasons when he signed with New York, but his first year in Queens saw it dip all the way down to 2.3.

Beltran rebounded in a big way for the 2006 National League East champion Mets, boasting a 7.8 fWAR.

Now, it would be unfair to compare the two, because they are different people. Though, there are likely some similarities in each case.

Coming to a brand new team always comes with some growing pains, especially when you’re the caliber of player that both Beltran and Lindor are.

Lindor has embraced being a Met, and it seems fans are starting to embrace him.

After Lindor was hit on his helmet by a pitch that also grazed his face during the Opening Series in Washington, he said he was proud to be a Met.

"I'm proud of being a New York Met," Lindor said. "I got hit, was on the ground, I heard scuffles. (Then) the whole entire team and coaching staff is out there."

"Everybody from Buck (Showalter), Eric Chavez, (Robinson) Cano, Pete (Alonso) and I could see the bullpen sprinting in," he added. "That says a lot. I'm super proud to be a New York Met and to be with this group of guys here. I respect them a lot. I admire them and I'm glad I'm sharing the field with them every day."

It’s important for Lindor to just be himself and go out there and do what he’s always done. When he does that, he will shine. 

Read More:

- Mets Manager Buck Showalter Will Miss Wednesday's Game Due To Medical Procedure

- Max Scherzer Strikes Out 10 In Dominant Citi Field Debut As Mets Sweep Double Header From Giants

- Francisco Lindor Lifts Mets To Win With Walk-Off Hit In Extra Innings

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