Francisco Lindor’s MVP Case Continues to Grow

Shohei Ohtani is the betting favorite to win the National League (NL) MVP, and rightfully so. The Dodgers’ slugger leads the NL in runs, home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, etc. He already has a 40-40 season, with potential to be the first player to ever have a 50-50 season in the history of the sport. Ohtani is great, likely a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day. With all that being said, without Francisco Lindor, the New York Mets would nowhere near a playoff spot. Not to mention, he continues to lead the NL in Fangraph’s Wins Above Replacement (fWAR) metric.

After a brutal, 7-0 loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday, the Mets needed a response. They had their hands full with Michael King, a right-handed starter at the top of his game. In the biggest spot of the game, Lindor came through to completely alter the momentum Saturday. The Mets led 1-0 going into the fourth inning. With two outs in the frame, Starling Marte singled, Francisco Álvarez reached via an error, and Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch. That brought Lindor to the plate with the bases loaded, a chance to break things open.

King left a sweeper over the middle of the zone in a 2-0 count and the shortstop crushed it, hitting a grand slam to right center field. The Mets, who have had all kinds of problems with runners in scoring position, executed in that moment. Lindor’s 26th home run of the season gave them a crucial 5-0 lead, a lead that felt safe with David Peterson on the mound. But the Mets weren’t done adding.

Lindor led off in the seventh inning against Padres reliever Yuki Matsui. He saw a fastball near the the middle of the zone and crushed it to left field, adding a home run from the right side. His second blast of the night gave the Mets a 6-1 lead, one they would hold onto.

“We are witnessing greatness here. He needs to be in the [MVP] conversation. He’s right there with anybody in the league. I know there’s some other guys that are having a real good year, but he is right there with them,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.

It may not be as glamorous as Ohtani’s stat-line, but Lindor is on pace for consecutive 30-30 seasons. He also plays elite defense at a premium position. That should be mentioned in this conversation. Will Lindor win the MVP? Probably not, no. But just because he is expected to fall short doesn’t mean he should.

Lindor is an elite player, one of the best in the game. To the surprise of many, he wasn’t named an All-Star this season. Since then, he is slashing .311/370/.581/.952 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs across 36 games.

Lindor deserves recognition for what he has done in a Mets uniform. Year after year, season after season, he produces. “The bigger goal here is to be in the postseason,” Lindor said. The Mets remain 2.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot going into Sunday.

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