The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Lindor shows a smile can go a long way
He dodged the question a bit, but his first manager in professional baseball came clean.
Does Francisco Lindor ever get upset when playing the game?
“Yeah, I’ve seen it a few times,” said RubberDucks manager David Wallace in a phone interview from his second home in Akron. “The ones that come to mind were when he was frustrated about his progression from level to level.
“There were times when he didn’t understand it, but he never let it affect him and the effort he put forth on the field.”
After that, there wasn’t much more of a Lindor reveal from Wallace, who managed the Indians shortstop from 2011 to 2014 at four different minor-league levels, and daily saw a genuine funloving guy.
“What you see from him on the field is real,” he said. “That’s all Frankie.”
Wallace managed Lindor at short-season Mahoning Valley for a handful of games in 2011, then for full Single-A seasons at Lake County and Carolina (now Lynchburg). In 2014, Wallace and Lindor managed and played their final season together for about half the year at Double-A.
From that point, the cord connecting the two was cut, and Wallace knew it would be a short while before Lindor made it to the majors — with the same wide smile and charismatic personality that carried him through the ups and downs of the minors.
“That was him all the time,” said Wallace. “Even during those long 10-hour bus rides.”
Those days are long gone for Lindor, whose World Series debut included three hits and a stolen base to help the Indians win Game 1, 6-0.
This stage won’t ever get any bigger for Lindor, who was an All-Star in his first full season in the majors.
He has proved this postseason he’s ready for it. Before Game 2, Lindor was batting .371 in the playoffs (13-for-35) with two home runs and four RBI, while playing his usual sparkling defense — and having fun all the while.
“I try to be (like) a little kid,” said Lindor.
Indians manager Terry Francona said managing a player with Lindor’s ability and personality can be tricky inside a clubhouse. The shortstop passed all the tests, and the payoff was the immediate trust Lindor earned from his teammates.
“I don’t know if tempered is the right word, but he got the veterans quickly to understand that he cared about winning,” said Francona. “Because as a young player, you can come in and be a little too loud, too quick and he made the veterans — they bought into him quickly because they understood he cared about winning, and then that allowed him to have his personality show.”
Did it ever. Double that personality with a rocksolid game at shortstop and at the plate, and the Indians have a complete package in Lindor.
Delivering that is as simple as sharing a smile. In Lindor’s case, his personality is ... well, fun.
Remember the old saying, “Smile and the whole world smiles with you?” That’s Lindor.
Whether he’s having a playful moment with Cubs second baseman Javier Baez in the first inning of Game 2 on Oct. 26, or biting on his necklace after legging out a double in Game 1, Lindor makes it easy to love the game.
“I think it has to do with how my mom is, how my dad is,” said Lindor about the origin of his bubbly approach to life. “Their personality, yes, I got that from them.”
Growing up, Lindor didn’t have one favorite big-league player. He followed the likes of former Indians Robbie Alomar and Omar Vizquel, plus Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins and Barry Larkin.
“I like the swag Alomar had. Vizquel, how he always seemed like he knew what was going to happen,” said Lindor. “Jeter, how he was focused. Larkin, how calm he was at the plate in big situations. Jimmy Rollins, little, but at the same time, he was a big guy on the field.”
Maybe Lindor was subconsciously talking a bit about himself.
Or maybe he was just having a little fun.
Contact Podolski at MPodolski@News-Herald. com; @mpodo.