Mets' Francisco Lindor keeps smiling, even during a grim hitting streak
Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets pops out during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Citi Field on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
How is Francisco Lindor dealing with a slump that has him in a career-worst 0-for-30 slide after he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the Angels on Tuesday night?
By living up to his “Mr. Smile” nickname.
“It’s part of the game,” Lindor told Newsday with — yes — a smile before the Mets won their third in a row. “You stay the course. You keep on getting better and see what happens.”
Does that mean he’s happy to be two more fruitless games away from Rey Ordonez’s Mets record of 0-for-37 from 1997? Of course not.
But you’re not going to wipe the smile off Mr. Smile’s face — even in the midst of epic failure. Did you see his big grin after SNY showed Lindor chatting from the on-deck circle with owner Steve Cohen before an at-bat on Tuesday night?
Like every very-good-to-great player, Lindor burns with the desire to be at his best at all times. That’s why he was on the field taking early batting practice more than four hours before Tuesday’s game.
Still, 0-for-30 is a big number and Lindor seemed to be pressing. In his final at-bat, he struck out on a pitch in the dirt that bounced so far in front of the plate that it went for a wild pitch.
Manager Carlos Mendoza should probably give Lindor a day off on Wednesday afternoon for the series finale. But Lindor might not want to sit on 0-for-30 before a West Coast trip that starts in San Francisco on Friday.
“He’s so steady,” Mendoza said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s going 4-for-4, hitting a walk-off homer, he’s going to be the same guy. It’s all about winning for him.”
The sellout crowd of 43,055 didn’t boo Lindor once. Just the opposite — they encouraged him, tried to will him to snap the skid.
“The love they give me, I appreciate that,” Lindor said. “I’m blessed to be here.”
It was surprising \[to me, anyway\] how much booing there was for the Mets on Saturday, when they lost to the Reds after former captain David Wright’s number retirement ceremony.
But little of it, if any, was directed at Lindor. Maybe it’s the “My Girl” singalong when he comes to the plate, which has become a real, joyous thing at Citi Field. Perhaps fans are still giddy and can’t switch from singing to booing on a dime.
Wright’s day sparked speculation that Lindor might soon be named Mets captain. It was sparked by a leaked MLB.com video that honored Wright and then segued into highlights of Lindor’s time with the Mets. The video was quickly deleted.
A source said the team is not planning on naming Lindor or anyone captain at the moment.
Lindor would be a good pick if the Mets decide to revisit the idea in future seasons (don’t be shocked if they do — naming a captain seems like a Steve and Alex Cohen move).
“I think it would be something that I would take and it would be a privilege and honor and I wouldn’t take it lightly,” Lindor said. “I wouldn’t do nothing different. I would continue to be me. At the end of the day, that’s something for the front office to decide, whether they want to or not.”
One more thing about “Mr. Smile” — Lindor in 2019 filed a trademark for the nickname that he was going to use on apparel. In the end, he let the trademark application expire because he wasn’t ready to get into the fashion business.
But he still plans to; in the offseason, he went to Paris Fashion Week. And on Tuesday — in the midst of his maddening slump — the first episode of a talk show called “Café con Lindor” dropped on MLB.com and other platforms.
Lindor interviewed rapper and TV host Action Bronson in the debut of what is going to be a monthly series set in coffee shops around the country.
There might be fans out there who want Lindor to stick to sports. But that’s unfair. Today’s athletes are more than just what you see on the field, and no one should question how hard Lindor works or how much he quietly plays through pain. If he wants to dabble in media or fashion, more power to him.
In fact, Lindor may be playing through a painful toe injury right now, and that could be part of why the oh-fer is happening. But he won’t talk about it, either on his show or in the clubhouse.
As Mendoza put it, “Only Francisco Lindor knows what’s going on there, and he’s not going to let us know. He’s like, ‘I’m out there. I’m going to continue to help you guys win a baseball game.”
Said Lindor: “That’s the most important thing.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
