Francisco Lindor Off to Historic Start at Home

It is the month of May and I guess you could say that Francisco Lindor is making Mets fans feel some type of way, especially at Citi Field.

The shortstop is 33-for-81 in 20 games at home this year. The 33 hits are a franchise record for “hits through a player’s first 20 home games of a season,” per the New York Mets’ game notes. He is slashing .407/.444/.741/1.185 at Citi Field with eight homers, 15 RBIs, three doubles and 20 runs scored.

On Monday night, he singled with one out in the ninth inning and scored the game-winning run when Pete Alonso cracked a walk-off sacrifice fly. He went 2-for-5 to raise his batting average to .304.

It is still early in the season, but Lindor has never had such pronounced home/road splits before. He is 18-for-87 (.207/.300/.287) with one home run away from Citi Field this year.

A year ago his OPS was .813 at home and .871 on the road and he hit 20 of his 33 homers in away games. In 2023 (.864 vs. 743) and 2022 (.819 vs. .754), his OPS was better on the road, too. The only year he was better at home since he came to the Mets was in 2021 (.788 vs. .680).

In 320 games and 1,365 plate appearances at Citi Field (including a handful from his Cleveland days), he’s hitting .257/.342/.456/.797 in Queens, so he’s outperforming his career numbers by a wide margin as well.

“He’s an elite player and he knows it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after Lindor walked off the Blue Jays with a sacrifice fly on April 5. “The moment is never too big for him. He’s got the ability to slow the game down and not try to do too much.”

Two weeks later, he walked off the Cardinals with a solo homer.

“There’s a lot that defines him,” Mendoza said after that game. “Not only moments like this. But, as soon as he gets to the ballpark, he’s impacting people in a positive way. Just his presence, his interactions, the way he pushes people. The way he encourage people and not only players, but coaches, support staff, everyone in this building. His presence, you could feel it every time he’s around. I’m glad I have him.”

You could say Mr. Smile is like sunshine on a cloudy day. The early start should give Lindor a boost in All-Star voting this year, potentially earning himself his first nomination to the All-Star Game as a Met.

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