After a roller-coaster debut season with the New York Mets last year, shortstop Francisco Lindor has his sights set on proving that MLB has not yet seen the best out of his prowess on the baseball field.
As he noted earlier in the week at Mets spring training, Lindor is aiming to showcase that he can reach his all-around potential.
“I don’t think I have hit my peak yet,” Lindor said.
Hefty expectations were placed on Lindor after the Mets acquired him from the now Cleveland Guardians and then subsequently signed him to a 10-year, $341 million extension deal. He wound up posting career lows across the board last season, including in batting average (.230) and OPS+ (101).
Lindor well recognizes that he did not have his most efficient year at the plate, and he takes responsibility for his sluggish first season with the Mets.
“To be honest, if we talk about last year, I didn’t feel like I was in a slump,” Lindor said. “I wasn’t hitting, the numbers weren’t there, but I felt like I was having good days. I was just inconsistent. I’ll come in one day and get two hits, and no hits for the next two days. … I wasn’t putting bricks every single day, and to have a wall, you have to put bricks every single day.
Inconsistent play at the plate marred his 2021 campaign, which included recording zero home runs in August and following it up with nine dingers in the final full month of the campaign.
The four-time All-Star sees that sheer consistency will dictate his success in the 2022 season.
“It wasn’t what I wanted,” Lindor said. “Ultimately, it comes down to me not being consistent. I think that’s something I have to do this year, be consistent from the beginning.”
The Mets will kick off their spring training schedule on Saturday against the Washington Nationals.