The Mets have turned their season around and are now in the midst of a playoff race. A big part of that is the re-emergence of Francisco Lindor since being moved to the leadoff spot.
In Tuesday’s win, Lindor went 3-for-4 and hit his 16th home run. The performance raised Lindor’s average to season highs in batting average (.253) and slugging percentage (.455).
Since being moved to the leadoff spot (46 games), Lindor has hit 18 doubles and nine home runs while scoring 35 runs and driving in 27.
"I’m not surprised because we’re talking about a great player,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of his shortstop. “At the end of the year, his numbers are going to be there. He is who he is. It just happens that where we’re at, I was looking to mix some things around the lineup."
Mendoza moved Lindor to the leadoff spot on May 18, and the Mets can’t argue with the results. In addition to Lindor’s numbers, the team has gone 25-21.
“Francisco being Francisco is the bigger part of it,” Brandon Nimmo said of the Mets’ improved offense. “If that means he’s Francisco at the leadoff spot, the one we know he can be, that’s great. Honestly, the biggest turnaround is he’s playing like the All-Star and MVP candidate we all know and love.
“Whatever it was, if it was moving him to the leadoff spot, I don’t care. The production we’re getting from him right now is unbelievable. I’m just under the impression that he has found his swing a bit and if moving to the leadoff spot helped that, that’s fantastic. Him just being him and the player we know he can be has really jumpstarted this offense.”
But another piece to the move was where Nimmo slotted in the lineup. After being the Mets’ leadoff hitter for many years, Nimmo was moved down in the order before settling in nicely in the No. 2 hole, behind Lindor.
In fact, Lindor says he gives “a lot” of credit for his hot hitting of late to the protection Nimmo is providing.
“He's been doing fantastic. The way he’s gone about his at-bats, the way he’s preparing and putting a lot of pressure on the pitchers,” Lindor said of Nimmo. “It seems like every pitcher when Nimmo comes up to the plate is in a high-leverage situation. And that’s really good.”
Nimmo, who went yard as well in Tuesday's win, is hitting .349 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in the two hole this season.
“They are great players,” Mendoza said of Nimmo and Lindor. “They’ve been doing it for a long time. The way they are controlling the strike zone, the way they are impacting the baseball and to all fields. ... that tells you they are seeing the ball well.”
With how well the Mets are playing, they are giving the front office a reason to upgrade the team to fight for a playoff spot in the final months of the season.
As Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Tuesday, he’ll look to see what the team shows in the coming weeks before deciding on what to do at the trade deadline. However, with the way Lindor and Nimmo are leading this offense, the front office may not have a choice but to go for it.