RETURN OF THE AMAZIN’ MESS
Chili is chill on subject of Lindor’s early slump
CHICAGO – Francisco Lindor entered Wednesday, his 13th big-league game as a member of the Mets organization, hitting .171 with a .522 OPS. That’s a slightly worse batting average than Michael Conforto (.184, .563 OPS) and better than Jeff McNeil (.162, .559 OPS). So Lindor is hardly alone in a Mets lineup suffering from an early-season slump.
Even so, when asked who in the lineup looks most unlike himself at the plate, one player stood out to Mets hitting coach Chili Davis.
“I don’t want to pick on anybody but, we probably would all say Francisco right now,” Davis said on Wednesday before the Mets’ game against the Cubs. “But I don’t look at it that way. I’m looking at, when he locks it in and he starts feeling good, we expect a lot out of him because of the caliber of player he’s been, which is not unfair. … The expectations are high because I think he has high expectations of himself as well.”
As if on cue, Lindor appears to have busted out on Wednesday night, going 3 for 4 with his first home run in the Mets’ 16-4 loss to the Cubs in Chicago.
Davis pinpointed a few of Lindor’s problems at the plate, chief among them his swing path and unfamiliarity with National League pitchers. Lindor had success in the American League. He came out of Cleveland a four-time All-Star who ranked third in the majors with 258 extra-base hits since 2017. He slashed .285/.346/.488 with 191 doubles, 138 homers, 411 RBI and 99 stolen bases across six years with the Indians.
With a knack for durability and defensive expertise at only 27 years old, one can see why the expectations were high for Lindor to begin his Mets career with a bang. Every time he strikes out, chases bad pitches, or misses mistakes, the number $341 million flash before Mets fans’ eyes.
“I look at treating him like I would a David Ortiz,” Davis said of Lindor. “He’s had so much success in his past, and he’s so young, he’s been a great hitter, he’s still a great hitter. I think I gotta listen to him because he’s a guy that’s feeling what’s going on.”
So Lindor’s .195 slugging
percentage over 53 plate appearances hasn’t worried Davis just yet.
The Mets’ wacky schedule – they’ve played just a dozen games with the calendar approaching May – has contributed to the shortstop, and the offense as a whole, starting 2021 rather sluggishly at the plate. The Amazin’s have played on three consecutive days just once this season, and that hasn’t happened since their opening series in Philly.
“I’m very patient because I know what these guys are capable of doing, and it’s just a matter of time,” Davis said. “We haven’t played that many ball games yet. We’ve got 162 of them to play. I figure if we can get two to three hot months in there, we can win this division. That’s the main objective: to win the division and move on to the playoffs.”
The Mets offense is dead-last in MLB in runs scored per game. The club entered Wednesday in 30th place with just 38 runs scored in 12 games. The Cubs, who have not faced the incessant scheduling conflicts that the Mets have dealt with, have over 100 more at-bats than the Mets and are in 29th place with 54 runs scored.
Lindor has said he needs to play consistently every day to make in-game adjustments. Davis said Lindor and McNeil are two Mets players that “probably take the least amount of swings in the cage” because they prefer to read balls either in batting practice or live, during games.
Other than crossing their fingers that the weather cooperates with the Mets’ schedule, Davis recommended a tunnel drill for Lindor, which helps him create a good direction to the ball. Lindor’s previous assistant hitting coach in
Cleveland, Victor Rodriguez, advised Davis of Lindor’s preference for the drill.
It can be tough for Davis to learn a new player and correct his mistakes on the fly without knowing Lindor as well as he does other Mets hitters – like McNeil, Conforto or Pete Alonso. But Davis knows a thing or two about Lindor, the superstar shortstop with a terrific track record and proven resume, to believe things will soon turn around for the new Met.
“We haven’t jelled yet as a club, and I go back to the lack of consistent playing, and the fact that they’re very optimistic coming out from a ballgame,” Davis said. “I don’t see anyone hanging their heads, they know how good they are, and they just know that it’s a matter of time before we break out and start winning some ball games.”