Superstar SS Lindor is exceeding Mets’ expectations
JUPITER, FLA. — Francisco Lindor arrived at Mets camp with a cornucopia of hype tailing his superstar-caliber on-field performance. The team knew in January — when it traded away Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez and other prospects to Cleveland for Lindor and Carlos Carrasco — that it received the best shortstop in Major League Baseball. The club knew Lindor’s platinum glove, four All-Star nods, two Gold Glove awards and two Silver Sluggers would significantly increase its chances of doing damage in the NL East.
What the Mets didn’t fully understand, and what they continue to be impressed by, is Lindor’s desire to lead.
“The ability is like you expect, the greatness like we’ve seen,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said on Monday. “But now his leadership skills, it’s been more than I expected, because he’s done it so early. He just came into the clubhouse and he was just yelling, like, really loud. And everyone was energized by it.”
Lindor, who went 0 for 2 and played four innings at shortstop in the Mets’ 2-0 loss to the Marlins in their Grapefruit League opener, said he fired up his teammates at 7:30 in the morning. Though it was early, and players were still groggyeyed, some of them said, “Yeah, let’s go!” Lindor said his own energy comes from his daily coffee intake.
“This is why we practice,” Lindor said of his clubhouse address. “We spend the whole offseason training, and we finally get to a game. Whether it counts or not, it’s still a game. It’s what we live for. We live for games. We don’t live for practice. It’s exciting.”
Over the course of Mets camp, Lindor has frequently been praised by his teammates for his leadership, advice, and energy — all of which has transformed the shortstop into a coach of sorts. He was often seen pausing workouts and drills on the backfields of Clover Park to explain a play to his fellow infielders, particularly J.D. Davis.
METS CHANGE VETTING, HIRING PROCESS
The Mets have changed their vetting and hiring process in the
wake of three separate harassment scandals that were reported in the past monthplus.
Former Mets GM Jared Porter, ex-manager Mickey Callaway and former hitting coordinator Ryan Ellis were all recently accused of inappropriate behavior and unwanted sexual advances through reporting from ESPN and The Athletic.
The Mets fired Porter in January within 24 hours of learning about his 2016 sexual harassment of a female reporter. Callaway, who has served as the Angels pitching coach since 2020, is accused of sexual harassment that took place in Cleveland, New York and Los Angeles. He denied any wrongdoing and remains suspended by the Angels. Ellis was fired in January after the Mets said “more information” was uncovered about the team’s previous investigation into his inappropriate behavior with three women.