SS Lindor is exceeding expectations

JUPITER, FLA. — Francisco Lindor arrived at Mets camp with a cornucopia of hype tailing his superstarcaliber 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.

Lindor noticed Davis wasn’t using his “good hands” in a way that would benefit his fielding at third base. The shortstop said Davis was “putting himself in bad positions where his hands weren’t allowing him to become a good infielder.” Davis accepted Lindor’s advice, and the team quickly began to see a difference in Davis’ defense. Lindor credited Davis for working hard and sticking with his practice because defensive drills can become monotonous and boring at times.

His willingness to be outgoing, provide feedback and keep his teammates on their toes has especially impressed Rojas, given how little time Lindor has known the club.

“Coming into a new organization, his first time in a different organization, and he’s acting like he’s home,” Rojas said.

The Mets don’t want all the work Lindor put in with his new teammates and coaches to go to waste. The club certainly does not want to see him walk away after just one year in the hole, as he’s set to become a free agent after the 2021 season. Really, the Mets would not have given up four players (Rosario, Gimenez, Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene) to Cleveland if they weren’t committed to keeping Lindor in Queens long-term.

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 month-plus.

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.

Alderson, who hired Porter and Callaway, said he has been “more intentional about communicating with women” as part of the changes the club has made to their vetting process. The day the Mets fired Porter, Alderson revealed in a press conference that he did not speak to any women when considering Porter for GM.