SAN DIEGO — Those watching from the dozen rows directly behind the New York Mets’ dugout started chanting before star shortstop Francisco Lindor made it halfway around the bases for his grand slam.
M-V-P!
M-V-P!
M-V-P!
Since Shohei Ohtani exists and the Los Angeles Dodgers play in the National League, Lindor seems unlikely to win the Most Valuable Player Award.
… Right?
It’s moments like the ones Lindor delivered within an all-around terrific performance during the Mets’ 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night that at least spark some consideration.
Lindor again led the Mets to a win they just had to have in their quest for a playoff spot. He hit two home runs — a grand slam from the left side and a solo home run from the right side — and made a nice defensive play when, early on, he charged a grounder and threw sidearm for an out. So goes his excellent season.
Francisco Lindor hit his grand slam left-handed and his solo shot right-handed. (Matt Thomas / Getty Images)
Except for two rotten weeks to start the season (Lindor had a .393 OPS through the first 14 games but has had a .873 OPS since), the game continued Lindor’s daily ritual: show up with an outwardly positive attitude in the clubhouse, play solid defense on the field and come through at the plate.
“He needs to be in the conversation,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of the MVP race. “He’s right there with anybody in the league. I know there are some other guys who are having a really good year. But he’s right there with them.”
Heading into Saturday, Lindor led the league in fWAR. But it’s oh-so-close. Though FanGraphs’ metric docks players for time spent at designated hitter and, by contrast, values strong defense at a premium position like Lindor at shortstop, Ohtani still trailed by only a small margin: 6.4 compared to 6.1. That’s just how good Ohtani’s offensive production has been.
So it’s hard to see voters choosing Lindor over Ohtani. Still, Lindor’s candidacy is more than just the contrarian part of the brain working in overdrive. Lindor deserves attention, which says a lot considering Ohtani became the quickest ever to 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases while playing on baseball’s best team. Ohtani keeps doing his thing, which warrants the biggest spotlight. But Lindor’s contributions to the Mets? Man, that’s worth highlighting, too.
“We’re witnessing greatness,” Mendoza said. “I think a lot of times people take for granted how good of a player he is, what he’s able to do day in and day out. Not easy. Not only offensively but the way he plays a premium position, what he means to that team in that locker room and to the organization.”
Mendoza made an interesting point: It sometimes does feel like people around the league fail to appreciate Lindor. He wasn’t even an All-Star. He wasn’t an All-Star the previous two years, either, despite top-10 finishes for the MVP Award. In both years, he placed ninth. After the 2024 season, he should finish much better.
It’s just a matter of where.
And that will depend on how Lindor and the Mets fare over the final five weeks.
He appears on pace for a career-best season. He’s slashing .269/.341/.490 with 27 home runs, 78 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. In 2018, he produced a 7.8 fWAR, which he might threaten to surpass. He entered Saturday’s game with a 132 wRC+ and 132 OPS+ — both figures tie his career bests (both accomplished in 2018).
“I’m in a good spot, I’m on a good wave,” Lindor said. “Just gotta embrace it and ride it as long as I can.”
When Lindor struggled to start the season and the Mets fell as many as 11 games below .500, players, coaches and other Mets staffers admired how he kept his cool. He kept answering questions from the media. He kept showing up with a smile.
The questions and circumstances have changed with reporters asking about MVP chants and the Mets (68-62) attempting to chase down the Atlanta Braves (70-59) for a playoff spot. Along the way, Lindor’s attitude and messaging have stayed the same.
If anything, Lindor has improved as a leader. It started before spring training when he made himself available to younger players Brett Baty and Mark Vientos. It took a major step when Lindor called the well-documented players’ meeting at the nadir of the Mets’ struggles and followed it up the next day by going 4-for-4. But there have been so many little moments, too.
There was that day in April when he went out of his way to thank Dedniel Núñez for giving the team two innings, weeks before Núñez emerged as a setup option and when everyone knew Núñez would be optioned to Triple A the next day (which he was). Thursday night, he emphatically implored reliever Huascar Brazobán to get through the final inning of a lopsided game despite things unraveling for the right-hander, who is said to take rough outings too hard. Whether people notice or not, it’s undeniable that Lindor cares.
“We all want to win, right? But this guy, it’s unbelievable,” Mendoza said. “For me, what an honor it is to be able to write his name on the lineup day in and day out.”
Lindor has yet to miss a game. The only time he didn’t start was May 2 because he was battling flu-like symptoms. Instead of starting that day, he ended the game by coming off the bench and hitting a walk-off double.
For the past several weeks, some have pointed out Lindor’s numbers since May (.871 OPS) or since the team meeting on May 29 (.942 OPS) or since being inserted into the leadoff spot (.910 OPS). At this point, that’s almost a disservice to Lindor. It’s past time to just call his season what it is: MVP-worthy, no matter how the numbers get sliced up.
The MVP chants picked up strongly several weeks ago, following long home runs against the New York Yankees in the Bronx when things became much more important around the Mets. Multiple times this season, he’s heard them at Citi Field.
When the chanting resumed on the road Saturday, Lindor talked about the need for him and the Mets to just keep going. There’s still more than a month left, he pointed out. Lindor said, “The bigger goal here is to be in the postseason.”
Get there and the MVP chants will only grow louder.
(Top photo: Denis Poroy / Getty Images)
