Statistical Spotlight: Francisco Lindor vs Fastball
Francisco Lindor was yet again an iron man last season, playing in 160 out of the 162 games.
He played stellar defense, ranking in the 90th percentile for his range, which is computed by his Outs Above Average. He also performs well from the plate, slashing .267/.346/.466 with an OPS of .811. Lindor finished second on the team in runs scored, doubles, and stolen bases with 117, 35, and 31, respectively. He also finished third on the team in home runs with 31. An interesting statistic to break down for Lindor’s 2025 season is looking at his productivity against the fastball.
May 30, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) follows through on a solo home run against the Colorado Rockies during the eighth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
By and large, Lindor saw the fastball the most amount of times last season. He saw 1,603 fastballs. The next closest, breaking balls, was at 818. In fact, Lindor saw the 10th most fastballs of any major league batter in 2025. The interesting part of this was that Lindor enjoyed success off the fastball. Lindor batted .295 with a .553 slug against the fastball. 22 of his 31 home runs were off the fastball.
Lindor also excelled at some of the more advanced batting metrics off the fastball. His average launch angle against the fastball was 19 degrees, which is optimal for line drive results. He also had the highest exit velocity against the fastball, with 92.3 mph, compared to 87.5 against breaking and 87.8 against offspeed. Another important statistic was Lindor’s whiff rate, which was the lowest against the fastball. His whiff % was only 17.7% against the fastball, as opposed to 26.2% against breaking balls and 21.7% against offspeed.
With the 2025 statistics available, will pitchers now have a new strategy for Lindor in 2026? There is a sharp contrast in Lindor’s batting numbers from fastballs compared to breaking balls and offspeed pitches. Conversely, what hitting plan will Lindor work on this offseason? Will he continue to attack the fastball, which resulted in great success, or will he have a different approach at the plate? It will also be interesting to see what wisdom new hitting coaches Jeff Albert and Troy Snitker will impart on Lindor to help improve his game.
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