While the 2024 Mets season has been anything but ordinary, there has been one relative constant that has guided the team all the way to the NLCS: Francisco Lindor hitting at the top of the lineup.
Entering the regular season, Lindor had been penciled in as New York’s number three hitter. It made sense as he was coming off two great seasons in the third spot and figured to be the team’s best overall hitter – a title generally reserved for the three hole (advanced stats be damned).
The season, however, did not begin as planned for the Mets which included an 0-5 start.
Meanwhile, during the team’s early struggles Lindor, still batting third and known as a player that typically starts slow, got off to one of the worst starts of his career, batting below .200 for almost two months.
The final straw came on May 17 in an 8-0 loss to the Miami Marlins who weren’t predicted to be a competitive team in 2024 (they finished 62-100, last place in the NL East). The next day, after discussing it with Lindor, manager Carlos Mendoza made the decision to move his shortstop from the three spot to leadoff.
“It’s not a secret we were struggling offensively as a team,” Mendoza said. “I remember it was after a tough loss in Miami, we were going back to the hotel and I was right next to Francisco and we were having a lot of conversations and then the lineup construction came up and I put it out there, just wanted to give him a different look and I wanted to get his take.
“First thing he said was, ‘Yeah when I first came up to the league I hit leadoff’. So we continued to have that conversation and the one thing that he said was ‘if you’re gonna do it, let’s give it a good look here’. We didn’t want it to be a couple of games or a week or so, let’s give it a run and see how it goes.”
Things didn’t change right away, though, as the Mets lost nine of their last 11 games culminated by a sweep from the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. It was during that time where New York had its now-famous players-only meeting that helped turn the season around.
After falling to a season-low 11 games below .500, the Mets began their climb – led by Lindor atop the lineup. In fact, even during that 2-9 stretch right after the lineup change, Lindor had gotten red-hot at the plate.
From there, New York finished with the best record in baseball and punched its ticket to the postseason on the final day of the regular season.
So, what changed with the rest of the lineup?
“[Lindor] took off and it seems like the lineup kind of fed off that,” Mendoza said.
“I just love getting things started,” the shortstop said. “I think it’s kinda cool to be able to either get a base hit, steal a base or home run, double and just get the crowd and the team going.”
Lindor continued: “I want to gather as much information as I can, not only for myself but also for the guys behind me and then share that knowledge and let them do whatever they got to do with it. The information could be one pitch or it could be ten pitches.”
That was on full display in Monday’s Game 2 win in Los Angeles when Lindor hit a leadoff home run and, after rounding the bases, immediately went into Mark Vientos’ ear to tell him what he saw. It’s something Lindor (and the rest of the team) has done for much of the season.
By the end of the regular season, Lindor had his best year as a Met and slashed .273/.344/.500 with 33 home runs, 91 RBI, 39 doubles and 29 steals – numbers reminiscent of his time in Cleveland where he spent most of his time batting leadoff.
Still, if you ask Lindor whether his approach changes at the top of the lineup compared to anywhere else, he says no.
“My approach doesn’t really change whether I’m hitting first, second, third, fourth, wherever in the lineup,” he said. “Just because I’m leading off doesn’t mean I’m gonna slap the ball the other way or bunt more or take more pitches. Just because I’m hitting third doesn’t mean I’m just gonna pull the ball more and hit more home runs.
“I am who I am and I just take the same approach in every spot in the lineup, wherever I get put in. With that being said, there is a little bit more of a responsibility when you’re leading off of you have to share a little bit more information because you are the first person that’s facing the starter that day… My game is not gonna really change that much.”
However, asked about his current preference of where he wants to hit in the lineup, he said, “As of right now I do prefer [hitting leadoff].”
With the way he’s played and the way the Mets’ season turned around since the transition – now just three wins away from a trip to the World Series – Lindor isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, especially at the biggest stage.
“There is a lot of pressure, but pressure is a blessing in a way because I’ve sat at home in this time of year and it sucks,” he said. “So to be in this position right now I think is fantastic, it’s fabulous.”
Be the first to comment