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Jorge Castillo
NEW YORK — After Francisco Lindor began the season 0-for-11 and his slow starts of the past continued to haunt him, the Mets shortstop was asked what he needed to do to avoid another one.
“That’s a fantastic question,” Lindor said. “I’m sure everyone’s asking that and I’m sure everyone’s trying to figure it out, and I’m right there with everyone. I don’t know.”
Lindor soon got his answer — from Jeremy Barnes, one of the Mets’ two hitting coaches. The gist: Don’t chase hits, Barnes told him. Don’t chase anything. Stick to the plan and execute it. You’re one of the best in the world. Don’t make it more than it is. Trust the work and trust yourself.
“And he’s been awesome,” Barnes said. “He’s been awesome since then.”
Since that forgettable three-game series in Houston, then missing the Mets’ fourth game of the season for the birth of his third child, the Mets’ leadoff man is batting .349 with five home runs and a .972 OPS to help propel New York to the best record in the majors at 18-7. He has resembled the National League MVP runner-up from 2024 and is playing like one of the sport’s most dynamic stars — much earlier on the calendar than he usually does.
“The conversation helped me have a clearer mind on what I needed to do during the process,” Lindor said in Spanish. “Just try not to do much. Look for pitches I need to look for and pass the baton because we have a lot of batters who are horses and I don’t have to do much. It all comes in the preparation. I prepare, and once I get in the batter’s box, I’m not thinking. My athletic ability kicks in. That’s what happened.”
Even while his new superstar teammate, Juan Soto, has stumbled out of the gate, Lindor was otherworldly during the Mets’ recent 7-0 homestand at Citi Field, which ended with a walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday to clinch a three-game sweep of the division rivals. Lindor became the first player in the majors this season to reach base three times in four straight games.
He crushed a walk-off home run in last Friday’s win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He clubbed a leadoff home run Sunday and another Monday — plus a three-run shot in the seventh inning to give the Mets the insurance needed for a 5-4 win over Philadelphia.
He finished the seven-game winning streak 14-for-30 with four home runs, a 1.367 OPS and a splash of elite defense. In particular, Lindor is mashing fastballs this season. He’s batting .344 with four home runs, four doubles and a .607 slugging percentage against them — perhaps the result of hitting in front of Soto or just a small sample size from an elite, locked-in performer.
“He’s free in a way where it’s like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to be myself,'” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “And that’s what he’s doing right now. And he’s getting results.”
Over his career, Lindor has made a habit of slow starts. In his first four seasons with the Mets, he batted a cumulative .218 over the first month of the season. Last year, he slashed .190/.265/.352 through May 18. He was booed at home. His wife, Katia, shared threatening messages from fans on social media. Owner Steve Cohen called for more positivity toward Lindor from the fan base. The Mets, in turn, began the season 22-33.
Good vibes were fundamental in the Mets’ subsequent turnaround, but good vibes require consistent winning. Lindor was foundational in that. It was Lindor who called the team meeting in late May that the Mets credited with putting them on track for a wildly captivating summer that ended in the fall just two wins shy of the World Series. And it was Lindor who became the best player in the National League not named Shohei Ohtani after his turbulent start, hitting .304 with a .928 OPS in 108 games after moving to the leadoff spot on May 18 — all while using a torpedo bat (sans the uproar).
It was also around that time that Lindor switched his walk-up song to the Temptations’ “My Girl,” a choice he dedicated to his wife and daughters. It has since become a Citi Field staple, with the crowd singing along to the tune before each of Lindor’s plate appearances — a stark difference from the reception he received a year ago.
“Last year we weren’t playing well,” Lindor said. “Now we have vibes. The music is louder. The chemistry from the guys is a lot better than what we had at the beginning of last year. The organization feels more stable. The culture is beautiful. It feels a lot better and that’s very important. It takes years of that growing.”
The Mets acquired Lindor before the 2021 season and immediately signed him to a 10-year, $341 million extension to serve as that culture setter and franchise cornerstone. He isn’t the only leader on a veteran roster with Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo, but he is the front man, whose voice resonates because of his consistent performance.
Lindor’s 8.8 fWAR over the past calendar year is the highest in the National League, trailing only Aaron Judge‘s and Bobby Witt Jr.’s across all of baseball. His hot start this season could finally produce his first All-Star nod as a Met.
“He can impact the game in so many different ways,” Mets designated hitter Jesse Winker said. “He looks amazing at the plate. It’s really fun to watch. And, yeah, man, it’s like, day in and day out, he does something special so it’s cool to see.”
Lindor was special on Wednesday afternoon. His smooth backhanded play in the hole for the third out of the first inning saved some of starting pitcher David Peterson‘s bullets. He walked in the third, singled in the fifth and singled again in the seventh.
At the end, after Starling Marte, a veteran struggling in his first experience in a part-time role, delivered the game-winning single in the 10th, Lindor was the first person to sprint out to give the day’s hero a hug. He was everywhere. He’s keeping it simple. He’s clear-minded. He’s trusting himself. And the Mets are winning because of it.
“I think you come into the season and you’re trying to get your feet wet and you’re thinking of all these things,” Barnes said. “As opposed to just like, no, it’s just execute the plan. Execute the plan in April. Execute the plan in May. Execute the plan in June. Just execute the plan. And he’s one of the best in the world at being able to go out and execute that plan.
“I know that sounds super simplistic, but for him I really think it’s that.”
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