The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
At 23, Lindor is the face of the Indians
Flashy shortstop Francisco Lindor ignites Cleveland Indians with his glove, arm, bat and smile.
Fans can go extra innings debating what they like most about Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor – his flashy glove, his quick release firing the ball to first base, his clutch at-bats, his youthful enthusiasm, his million dollar smile, the way he hustles ...
Checking the “all of the above” box works, too.
Lindor is entering his second full season with the Tribe. No one has more fun playing baseball than the 23-year-old switch hitter from Puerto Rico, and few play the game better. Lindor was awarded a Gold Glove, recognizing him as the best fielder shortstop in the American League, last November in his first full season in the majors.
It seemed the bigger the stage, the better Lindor played. He talked at Tribe Fest in January about the 2016 World Series and said what a thrill it was to play in front of a packed house at Progressive Field in early November.
“You play hard during the season, but when you have the fans behind you, counting on you, it makes you want to give that extra 20 percent to bring it for the city,” Lindor said. “That’s why it was so much fun here. The way the city got behind us in the World Series and the entire playoffs was amazing to us.”
Lindor has set the bar high. He hit .313 and drove in 51 runs in 99 games as a rookie in 2015. He followed that up last year by batting .301, scoring 99 runs, driving in 78 runs and hitting 15 home runs.
Fame and success go hand in hand for Lindor. Car dealers and pizza chains love it when he endorses their products. He recently signed an endorsement deal with New Balance to wear the shoe company’s baseball spikes
“Francisco Lindor represents the heart of the New Balance Baseball brand: a young, exciting player with incredible talent who displays joy and passion for the game as well as a genuine desire to give back to the community that supports him,” Ray Hilvert, VP of sports marketing for New Balance, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to embark on this new relationship and look forward to elevating Francisco’s star power around the world as a global ambassador for New Balance and NB Baseball.”
Being in front of the television camera for a commercial could be a distraction for some players. Indians manager Terry Francona isn’t worried about Lindor taking his eye off the ball.
“He loves to play baseball,” Francona recently told reporters at spring training in Goodyear, Arizona. “He knows what comes first, and when you do your job on the field, when you do it like Frankie does it, good things are going to happen because of it, but they don’t happen unless you take care of your job on the field. Even at a young age, he’s well aware of that. I’ve never felt a need to say anything to him, and if I did, I would.”
Lindor will temporarily leave his teammates in the desert soon to play for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. The WBC, running from March 6-22, might seem to some fans to get in the way of spring training, but to Lindor and others who were born outside the United States, it is very important.
“It’s an honor, a blessing,” Lindor said. “I can’t wait to wear my Puerto Rican jersey. I’m proud of my country. I want to represent it everywhere I go. That’s the reason I play — for Puerto Rico, for Cleveland, for my family.”
What comes next for Lindor is intriguing. He humbly does not want to be compared to Omar Vizquel, the dynamic shortstop of the Indians from 19942004, but the comparisons are unavoidable.
Like Vizquel did for 12 years, Lindor glides to a ball hit to the shortstop side of second base. He wears a vacuum cleaner disguised as a mitt on his left hand. But most of all it’s the smile that has made Lindor the face of the Tribe in the brief time he has been with the Indians.
Typical of Lindor, he prefers to talk about team goals and what it will take to get back to the World Series.
“We have to have the same goal as last year — make it to the World Series and win it,” he said. “We have to make sure we play the game the right way and represent the Tribe and the city the right way. Respect the game and respect our opponents. Respect everybody in the clubhouse and enjoy the ride, because it’s going to be fun.”
Lindor helps make it fun.