PORT ST. LUCIE — Francisco Lindor nonetheless isn’t positive what hit him final 12 months, however he’s out to make sure the narrative adjustments.
“I nonetheless have gotten 10 extra years,” the Mets shortstop mentioned Tuesday, providing a reminder that the contract extension he signed final March, price $341 million, doesn’t even begin till this season.
The Mets had motive to really feel cheated final season, when Lindor, after arriving in a commerce with Cleveland, produced an abnormal .230/.322/.412 slash line with 20 homers and 63 RBIs. It’s a season that began poorly and ended with Lindor extra resembling the participant the Mets thought they had been receiving.
Upon additional evaluation, the 28-year-old former All-Star suspects a change in offseason routine might need affected his efficiency. That included the whole lot from relocating to a different metropolis to the start of a daughter. Possibly Lindor wasn’t centered sufficient on preparation for his new job.
“Final 12 months the whole lot sort of blended collectively,” Lindor mentioned.
Lindor was jeered final season at Citi Area — resulting in his resolution to “boo” the followers (together with teammates Javier Baez and Kevin Pillar) by flashing a thumbs-down to the group after reaching base. Lindor and Baez later apologized to the followers.
It’s clear Lindor took the booing too personally, a subject that was broached when he not too long ago spoke to supervisor Buck Showalter.
“The followers, they need one thing to embrace you,” Lindor mentioned. “The followers need to cheer for you. If you happen to don’t give them that you're going to hear it.”
Baez, who arrived final 12 months on the commerce deadline, signed a six-year contract with the Tigers price $140 million. Lindor had hoped his pal would return to the Mets.
“Steve [Cohen] had a special imaginative and prescient, together with Sandy [Alderson] and Billy [Eppler], they'd a special imaginative and prescient,” Lindor mentioned, referring to the group proprietor, president and basic supervisor. “You respect it. I'm a New York Met. I'm all in for the New York Mets. I needed [Baez] to be right here, however he’s not so now I want him nothing however the very best. I'll proceed to speak to him and hopefully we see him within the World Collection in opposition to us.”
Lindor’s “Mr. Smile” persona took a success final Could, when he fought with teammate Jeff McNeil. On the time, the 2 laughed off the incident as an argument over whether or not it was a rat or raccoon that had invaded the tunnel main between the dugout and clubhouse. The Put up reported in November that Lindor, offended about McNeil’s repeated positioning errors in shifting — and the second baseman’s dismissive perspective about it — grabbed McNeil by the throat and pinned him in opposition to a wall within the tunnel. The altercation was damaged up by teammates.
“That is one thing that's previously,” Lindor mentioned. “Me and McNeil, we have now been good ever since then. We proceed to play the sport as onerous as we will and finally we’re two opponents that need to win. We need to do no matter it takes to win.”
Lindor appeared heading in the right direction in July earlier than a strained indirect eliminated him from the lineup for 5 weeks. In September he produced a .933 OPS, which included a three-homer recreation in opposition to the Yankees.
However Lindor’s brutal April and Could numbers, particularly — he owned a .589 OPS over the primary two months — had been troublesome to miss.
“To be sincere, if we discuss final 12 months I didn’t really feel as if I used to be slumping,” Lindor mentioned. “I wasn’t hitting, clearly, the numbers weren’t there, however I felt like I used to be having good days. I used to be simply inconsistent. I wasn’t constant daily so it led to a [.182], I believe I hit within the first month. I simply wasn’t constant.
“I wasn’t placing bricks each single day and to have a wall it's a must to put the bricks each single day. I used to be simply placing the bricks each two days. It wasn’t what I needed.”
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