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Mets' Carlos Mendoza on if he sees Francisco Lindor being named team captain

Does Carlos Mendoza believe Francisco Lindor should be named team captain of the Mets?

Logan VanDine

May 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) congratulates shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
May 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) congratulates shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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Since becoming a member of the New York Mets four years ago, shortstop Francisco Lindor has solidified himself as the leader of the team. This has resulted in calls for him to become just the fifth team captain in franchise history.

When Lindor was asked about that possibility by reporters last week, he said it would be "an honor" to be named on that exclusive list. And on Friday, during an interview on WFAN's Sports Radio show Evan and Tiki, manager Carlos Mendoza was also asked about the chances of his star shortstop to be the team captain.

"I'm not gonna lie, I've had some conversations with David [Stearns], I haven't had any of those with Steve [Cohen], not sure if David had conversations with Steve but me and David talk about it," Mendoza said.

"He's already doing everything that a captain does, with the way he goes about his business, his actions, everything that he does off the field, not to mention what he does on the field. But watching guys, holding guys accountable, keeping it loose, keeping it fun but when it's go time it's go time...keeping it consistent, so that's what you want to see out of all of your players."

Read More: Mets' Francisco Lindor sends message about potential captaincy

The only four captains in franchise history for the Mets include first baseman Keith Hernandez and catcher Gary Carter; Hernandez earned the title in 1987 before sharing the role with Carter over the next two seasons. Reliever John Franco was the next captain, serving from 2001-2004, and third baseman David Wright is the most recent, holding the role from 2013 until his retirement in 2018.

Since being acquired by New York from the Cleveland Guardians in January 2021, Lindor has certainly become one of the Mets' premier shortstops in team history.

Over his first four seasons in Queens, the 31-year-old has slashed .259/.336/.461 with a .797 OPS, 110 home runs, 359 RBI and 386 runs scored in 598 games. Lindor also became just the fourth Met in franchise history to have a 30-30 season (accomplished in 2023) and is currently the Mets' all-time leader in home runs by a shortstop.

His resume certainly speaks for itself, and when coupled with his blossoming leadership skills, it may be only a matter of time before Lindor joins that prestigious list of team captains in Mets history. For now, at least, he has the endorsement of his manager.

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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan

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