Francisco Lindor — Baseball’s Most Overrated Player Becomes Underrated
When it comes to underrated players in the MLB, players like Diamondbacks 1st Baseman Christian Walker and Angels 2nd Baseman Luis Rengifo come to mind. They’ve both been consistently good their whole career and are finally getting noticed.
Even though they weren’t selected for the All-Star Game this year, they put up consistently good numbers and are bright spots for their struggling teams.
These guys aren’t considered the franchise players for their respective teams and are not getting paid $341 million over the next 10 years. But Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor checks off both of those boxes.
So, you may be asking, “If Lindor is considered the Mets’ franchise player, how is he underrated?”
I’ve been wondering the same thing.
Francisco Lindor’s professional career began when he was drafted as the 8th pick in the 1st round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians (now known as the Cleveland Guardians).
Before the 2012 MLB season, Lindor was the Guardians’ top prospect and 32nd overall in the MLB before he even stepped onto a minor league field. It’s safe to say that Cleveland has a star on the horizon.
In Single A he batted .257 with 6 home runs and 42 RBIs, he also had 27 stolen bases. After this excellent season in Single-A in 2012, he earned his promotion to Double-A during the middle of the 2013 season. He batted .290 with 1 home run and 7 RBIs in 21 games.
Since Lindor only played 21 games in the Double-A level and didn’t show impressive production, he stayed down in Double-A for the beginning of the 2014 season.
In the 2014 Double A season he batted .278 with 6 home runs and 48 RBIs while having 25 stolen bases and drawing 40 walks. This earned him a promotion to Triple-A in the middle of the 2014 season.
In 38 games he batted .273 with 5 home runs and 14 RBIs, he only had 3 stolen bases during his Triple-A tenure in 2014.
This stint with the Triple-A squad proved that Lindor could hit with power at a high minor-league level. He hit 5 home runs in 38 games in Triple-A compared to the 6 home runs in 88 games in Double-A that same year.
This shows that Lindor adjusted to higher-level pitching very well considering he hit practically the same amount of home runs in a third of the games.
Even though Lindor showed stellar stats in his first stint in Triple-A, the Guardians organization wasn’t ready to bring him up to the majors yet, so Lindor started the 2015 season in Triple-A.
Lindor batted .284 with 2 home runs and 22 RBIs while also having 9 stolen bases and drawing 25 walks.
Francisco Lindor’s Perfect Game profile states he’s an “Excellent all-around player, outstanding in infield, good bat, legit switch hitter, surprising power.” This proved true during Lindor’s time at the Minor League Level.
But if Francisco Lindor has shown one thing in the minors, it’s that he’s a consistent contact hitter with sneaky power and an amazing eye.
Francisco Lindor’s time in the Minors came to an end on June 14th, 2015, when he made his Major League debut with the Guardians.
By the time he got called up, Lindor was ranked as the 4th best prospect in the game. He was highly touted and destined to be the face of this franchise.
Francisco Lindor played 99 games in the majors in the 2015 season. He batted .313 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs. Even though he struck out 69 times, which is not good for Lindor standards, he stole 12 bases and walked 27 times.
Francisco’s half a season in the majors was deemed a huge success considering he won the Rookie of the Month award in September and finished 2nd in American League Rookie of the Year voting for that year.
Lindor showed flashes of star potential in those 99 games, which brings me back to my original question. How was he ever considered overrated? And how was he ever considered underrated?
You’ll find out soon.
Francisco Lindor’s first full season in the majors was a huge success. He batted .301 with 15 home runs and 78 RBIs. He also had 19 stolen bases and was an American League Gold Glove Finalist for Shortstop. He didn’t win, but being a finalist in his first full major league season is an accomplishment.
Now the story of Lindor’s 2016 season is not over yet. The Guardians made the postseason that year.
Lindor broke numerous MLB and club records during the 2016 postseason. He has the most multi-hit games ever for a player less than 23 years old in the postseason. The most postseason hits by a batter since 1997 with 16 hits. He is also the youngest Guardians batter with 6 World Series hits.
Yes, the Guardians made the World Series in Lindor’s first full Major League season.
So even though Lindor had an amazing postseason in 2016, the Guardians fell short of the title after blowing a 3–1 lead against the Chicago Cubs, a very iconic moment in MLB history.
Even then, there is still more to Lindor’s 2016 season. He won his first AL Gold Glove Award and his first AL Platinum Glove Award. The difference between the two is that the Gold Glove Award is given to a player for being the best defender at a certain position, with Lindor’s being Shortstop, and the Platinum Glove is given to the best defender in each league.
After finishing 9th in AL MVP Voting, it’s safe to say that Francisco Lindor has established himself as one of the league’s brightest and best young stars.
Now onto 2017, Lindor’s breakout year.
Francisco Lindor already made a name for himself in his first full season in 2016 as a flashy, always happy, and talented shortstop, earning him the nickname “Mr. Smile”.
But 2017 is when everything that the scouting reports said about Lindor was put to fruition.
Lindor finished the 2017 season with a .273 batting average, which is lower than his 2016 batting average, but his other offensive metrics make up for it. He hit 33 home runs, 18 more than his previous season, while also getting 89 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and 60 walks. Francisco also finished with 44 doubles, tied for 4th in the American League.
Francisco Lindor’s great offensive-led 2017 season helped him finish top 5 in American League MVP voting, got him elected to the All-Star Game, and helped him win his first Silver Slugger Award in his career.
2017 was a huge leap forward for Lindor, who established himself as one of the league’s best shortstops in the prior season. Lindor’s career is off to an insanely hot start. Can he keep it going?
2018 was Lindor’s best career season as of 2024. He put up MVP-type numbers for the 3rd year straight while helping lead the Guardians to their 3rd straight playoff appearance. He batted .277 with 38 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases.
Lindor’s batting average started to decrease in exchange for his increased home run and RBI numbers. He also totaled a career-high at that point,107 strikeouts.
Even though Lindor’s batting average went down and his strikeouts went up, he still had an amazing season, the best of his career. A season that helped him finish 6th in American League MVP voting, go to the All-Star Game for his 3rd straight season, and his second Silver Slugger Award.
Francisco Lindor rose to the 8th best player in the MLB on the MLB Top 100 list after his amazing 2018 season.
How long can he keep this up?
Is Francisco Lindor the saving grace for this Cleveland Guardians Franchise, or will he decline and leave his team?
Lindor is set to be a free agent after the 2021 MLB season. Cleveland has to decide soon if they want to lock him up long-term or trade him for pieces to build for the future.
With Free Agency looming, Lindor’s 2019 and 2020 seasons have to be on par with the seasons he’s been having so he can get a huge contract and hopefully be one of the highest-paid shortstops in Major League Baseball.
2019 ended up being another amazing season for Francisco Lindor. He batted .284, which is better than the last two seasons. He also hit 32 home runs and had 74 RBIs while tallying 22 stolen bases.
Lindor only played 143 games this season compared to his usual average of around 158 to 159. So, his already amazing numbers could have been even better.
Lindor’s name was thrown around in trades after his amazing 2019 season, and with Cleveland not looking like they want to re-sign him, Lindor could have been moved at any minute.
Going into the 2020 shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindor was ranked as the 10th-best player in the MLB. With Free Agency on the horizon and trade rumors increasing, Lindor had to do well this season.
Sadly, he didn’t.
In the shortened 60-game season, Lindor batted .258 with 8 home runs and 27 RBIs. Not much to say about that season besides that it was a disaster and not the type of season you want to have with free agency on the horizon.
But on January 7th, 2021, Lindor had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.
The New York Mets acquired Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, and prospects Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene.
This trade wasn’t surprising, considering the Mets were a top target for Lindor. With new ownership, the Mets wanted to make a big splash to prove they were contenders. Who better to trade for than Francisco Lindor?
The Mets now have their franchise player and Lindor is thriving in his new city. Things were looking good for the Mets and Lindor, until the end of the 2021 season.
Francisco Lindor had trouble adjusting to the pressure of New York Sports and he had the worst season of his career to date. In 125 games Lindor batted a career-worst .230 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs while having 96 strikeouts.
I vividly remember watching him during the 2021 season. Sure, he was great on defense, but this guy could not hit if his life depended on it.
As you might have guessed, he was booed by his hometown fans. Francisco Lindor had a rude awakening in his first season in New York.
Luckily he turned it around in the 2022 season.
In 161 games, Lindor batted .270 with 26 home runs and a career-high 107 RBIs. While he tallied a career-high at that point 133 strikeouts, his overall offensive production was worth the trade-off.
Francisco finished 9th in National League MVP voting while leading a Mets team to the playoffs for the first time in 6 years. Sadly, they lost in the first round to the San Diego Padres, but the Mets and Lindor have proven their worth for the future of New York Mets Baseball.
Now we’re down to the most recent full season Lindor has played —
2023 was Lindor’s best season as a Met and probably one of the best of his career. In 160 games he batted .254 with 31 home runs and 98 RBIs while having 31 stolen bases.
Francisco Lindor achieved the first 30/30 season of his MLB career while also finishing 9th in National League MVP voting for the second straight year and getting his second Silver Slugger Award, his first in the National League.
Francisco Lindor has had some of the best offensive seasons in New York Mets history in his short time here, but he has yet to make an All-Star Game and has been called numerous times, the most overrated and overpaid player in baseball.
Sure, the Mets haven’t been as good as they should be, but that’s not on Lindor. He’s been the saving grace for this franchise, the reason tickets sell. His jersey is popular with Mets fans.
Francisco Lindor isn’t overrated anymore. If anything, he’s the most underrated and underappreciated player in the game of baseball.
