MMO Roundtable: Can Francisco Lindor Win NL MVP?

Does Francisco Lindor have a chance at winning the NL MVP Award? He’s definitely making a case for himself. What are the odds, however, that he’ll actually win it?

Here’s what we at MMO think.

David Melendi

Yes! Shohei Ohtani is the favorite, but I can see a narrative building for Lindor as the season comes to an end. He plays shortstop while Ohtani sits in the dugout. A DH for MVP? Of the National League?! Some writers will have to buy pearls to clutch.

Lindor will also have the benefit (hopefully) of playing in big games as the Mets try to clinch a Wild Card spot. 13 of the Mets’ last 16 games are against the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. Tough competition, and it should provide a playoff atmosphere. If Lindor shines in those games (a few web gems would be helpful) I can see voters contrasting that with Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers playing out the string with a big lead in the NL West.

Chris Bello

A chance? Of course he does! Francisco Lindor is having another spectacular season on both ends of the ball and could become the first shortstop in MLB history to have back-to-back 30/30 seasons. The fWAR will be there and the counting stats as well.

Unfortunately, I don’t think he will. Shohei Ohtani is having an inhuman season with the Dodgers, slashing .309/.400/.628 with 32 homers through 106 games. Barring a major slump from Ohtani and a continuation of Lindor’s torrid stretch, it’s unlikely.

Christian De Block

Francisco Lindor has an uphill climb towards Shohei Ohtani at the top of the MVP race in the National League. Maybe it shouldn’t be that way, though. Ohtani is fantastic and is one of the best pure hitters in the game’s history. But would the Dodgers be okay without him? I certainly think so.

The same cannot be said about the Mets and Lindor. Without him, I really don’t believe this run happens. He has been a sensational leadoff hitter and his leadership has been strong throughout.

A slow start to the season may cost him in the end. But, if the Mets continue to play at this level and Lindor produces game after game, he should be a MVP finalist. No doubt about it.

Johnluke Chaparro

I’m of the firm belief that no matter what Met performs well enough, they’ll never get strong consideration for MVP. It should be noted, though, that Francisco Lindor, like David Wright and Mike Piazza before him, is 100 percent deserving of the award.

Judging by his recent performance and how he’s been one of the main cogs of this Mets turnaround, he’s absolutely a strong candidate for the award. Despite his slow start, he’s been able to become a catalyst for this team as whole. It should be a tight race and crazier things have happened.

100 percent deserving of it and 100 percent should have a chance at the award.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki

Does Lindor have a chance? Yes. Is it likely? Not very. He’s had a fantastic season, but with Shohei Ohtani chasing a Triple Crown, it will be hard for anyone else to take home the hardware. That being said, if Lindor continues to play the way he has over the last couple of months, and the Mets continue to surge, he will merit strong consideration. He still has a long way to go, but don’t count Lindor out in the MVP race.

Patrick Glynn

I think he has a chance for these three reasons:

1) Voters love finding ways to not give awards to certain players who’ve won the award multiple times. It happens across sports. If anyone is even close to Ohtani in deserving it, I think voters would lean into that.
2) Voters also love a narrative. If the Mets make the Wild Card, it’s largely because of Lindor’s performance, especially after such a poor start. Plus, the Mets themselves have had crazy narratives with Grimace, “OMG” and other phenomena.
3) Lindor has been fucking great. He’s currently third in the league in fWAR, he’s played Gold Glove defense and his offense from the shortstop position is among tops in the league. The same could be said for Elly De La Cruz, but Lindor would (hopefully) have a playoff spot to back him up

That’s a lot that needs to go right for Lindor, most of which is out of his hands. But voters are people, and they do weird things. If it’s close and Lindor has an argument, there’s a pretty clear path toward him winning the award.

Jorge Eckhardt

Ultimately … no. For one, he couldn’t even make the All Star team … no way he wins MVP. Sure, he’ll get some down-ballot votes, maybe even a couple third-place ones, but I doubt he receives even a single first-place vote. He’s one of the most disrespected, under-appreciated players in baseball, and I don’t expect that to change. Some good points have been made about Ohtani being only a DH and older writers not wanting to vote a DH for MVP in the National League … but I also doubt those same writers would vote for Lindor on the basis of WAR. He’ll have the WAR to compete, but the offense will be a step behind the other candidates. That’s no slight at Lindor, it’s just the truth. His fWAR is third in the NL, but his OPS is 16th. People love to say they like defense, but when it’s time to prove it … the offense always comes first. Shohei (and his global stardom) is the very clear frontrunner, and players like Bryce Harper, Ketel Marte and Elly De La Cruz — all top five in WAR and top 10 in OPS — are all more likely MVP candidates. But if Lindor can lead the Mets to the playoffs … who cares?

 

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