David Lennon: Mets' Francisco Lindor could end uncharacteristic season with big blast
Mets' Francisco Lindor runs to the dugout after the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
During the hysteria over Pete Alonso’s Homecoming Week at Citi Field, you may have heard about the other guy on the brink of his 300th home run.
Well, here’s something else about Francisco Lindor’s pending milestone. It’s sort of a magic number for shortstops, so when he does go deep, Lindor will move into solitary third place on the all-time list for home runs at the position behind Cal Ripken Jr. (345) and Alex Rodriguez (344).
Ripken is a first ballot Hall of Famer, enshrined in 2007. As for A-Rod, let’s just say he’s got Cooperstown credentials, including 696 homers overall, but has been kept outside the gates by an extensive PED rap sheet. After Lindor, two of the next three shortstops on that list — Ernie Banks and Derek Jeter — also are in the Hall.
That’s heady stuff. And Lindor, at age 32, isn’t close to being finished either, which definitely puts the top spot within his grasp. Technically, Lindor has 291 homers as a shortstop (the other eight as DH) but he’s in the ballpark. Do the math. Over his last four full seasons (2022-25), Lindor has averaged 30 homers — he’s got 20 now — so that should vault him past Ripken while he’s still in a Mets’ uniform, as he’s signed through 3031 (with another $170 million due).
It’s been sort of a lost season for Lindor, typically an Iron Man himself but this year missed two months with a severe calf strain. Factor in another three weeks to get up to speed again, along with the Mets being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention Monday with Alonso back in the house, and even a five-time All-Star could use an ego boost. No one would blame Mr. Smile if he flashes a little extra teeth when the next homer flies over the fence.
“First of all, it’s an honor and a privilege to be near [300],” Lindor told Newsday before Tuesday night’s game against the Orioles. “That means I played for a long time. Or long enough in the same position, and I’ve had health to be able to do that, because there’s been a lot better shortstops than me along the history of the game. I just probably stuck around a little longer than them at shortstop.”
“So it’s one of those things where it’s cool, but I haven’t really sat back and been in awe because I’m not in that stage of my career yet. I just got to continue to put my head down and go, go, go, go, go. And then we’ll see when it’s time to look back and see where I am.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Lindor was still neck-and-neck with Alonso, his former Mets teammate, who talked about how it would be “really sick” if both could reach 300 in the same game — before Alonso reached the mark with a game-tying shot off Kodai Senga in the top of the ninth.
With that in mind, I asked Lindor if he’d want to edge Alonso at the wire, even though it’s taken him a dozen years to get there as opposed to just eight for Alonso. They’re only 13 months apart in age, though.
“He’s going to beat me, as far as home runs in our careers,” Lindor said, laughing. “I hope he gets it, but not here. Or if we’re winning by 10, then let him have a solo shot.”
Lindor is glad to be at a point where he can joke about such things, because it’s felt like a long road back to normalcy for a franchise player who is used to playing every day. He had missed a total of 15 games over the previous four seasons, reaching 160 or more three times. Currently, Lindor is at 94 games with 11 left, meaning he’ll end with the fewest of any year, aside from the 2020 pandemic-shortened season (He played all 60).
For that reason, it’s been crucial to finish strong, especially with the Mets going into an uncertain winter. There were some early questions about Lindor’s long-term viability after his wobbly first few weeks back from the calf injury, both with the bat and glove, but he’s rallied to quiet those concerns to some degree. Since July 19, Lindor has 15 homers with an .844 OPS over his last 51 games, entering Tuesday, and his defense has gradually improved, almost like the rust had to be knocked off.
“I had to play the game,” Lindor said. “That’s how I got to 300 — play the game. I don’t have these crazy tools that in a week I’m going to put up crazy numbers. I have the ability to keep playing the game, play the game, play the game, then you look back and say, hey, it wasn’t that bad.”
Lindor isn’t in the mood for reflection just yet, but it is a source of pride that he’s overcome a lot to return to being the Mets’ starting shortstop again. He began last offseason needing elbow surgery to remove bone spurs from his throwing elbow, then required another operation in mid-February, on the eve of spring training, to repair a stress fracture of his hamate bone. Lindor hustled back to make the Opening Day lineup, only to struggle early on, and it’s seemed like he’s been chasing his usual MVP-caliber performance ever since. Finally, Lindor seems to be catching up, with six homers in his last 12 games before Tuesday.
“He’s a pro — he does everything right,” interim manager Andy Green said Tuesday afternoon. “We know he’s on the doorstep of 300 home runs. We know how rare that is in baseball, but even how rare it is as a shortstop. We know what he’s battled through in the times he hadn’t performed up to expectations in his own mind.
“But he always comes back and performs, and you look up at the end of the year, and that’s what Francisco Lindor does.”
Very soon, he’ll add No. 300 to his resume.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
