As of May 5, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was struggling so badly at the plate that his batting average was .157.
He had just two extra-base hits at that point, and fans were booing him in his own stadium.
However, he started turning his season around at that point, and has looked like the player the Mets thought they were acquiring a few months ago.
Since that date, Lindor has batted .280/.342/.480 in 26 games, with 11 extra-base hits, four home runs, and 10 RBI.
It's outta here! @Lindor12BC pic.twitter.com/ZBnzYg1wwe
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 6, 2021
These three stats prove that he will be fine moving forward and is exactly the same player he has been over the course of his career: a star.
3. 0.62 BB/K
For each strikeout, Lindor has been able to take 0.62 walks this season, according to his FanGraphs player page (in the ‘Advanced’ section).
This particular stat goes to show that his plate discipline, pitch recognition, and bat-to-ball skills are still intact.
The 0.62 BB/K is better than last year’s 0.59 and 2019’s 0.47.
Additionally, it’s also right in line with some of Lindor’s better seasons: 2016 (0.65), 2017 (0.65), and 2018 (0.65).
He may have slumped hard in the first few weeks of the regular season in 2021, but one of the signs that tells us he is, and will be, fine is the fact that he can still draw walks and avoid strikeouts at the same rates as when he was one of the top performers in the league.
Lindor is starting to turn things around, and his plate discipline is part of the solution, not the problem.
2. 41.3 Hard Hit Rate
When Lindor couldn’t buy a hit, many Mets fans and baseball observers were worried and wondering whether the team made a mistake by giving him a $341 million dollar extension.
But the fact that he is still hitting the ball hard frequently, even when he was slumping, should bring people some peace of mind.
Lindor’s current hard-hit rate (percentage of balls hit a 95 mph or harder) is a steady 41.3 percent, per his Statcast profile.
Why is that number promising and encouraging?
Because it’s the best hard-hit rate of his career.
For weeks, Lindor had issues with groundballs: he was making hard contact, but since it was mostly on the ground, he produced little to no damage.
But he has been correcting the issue and has been lifting it more for a month now, and he is back to being an offensive threat.
Odd, but true. Francisco Lindor is hitting to the best hard hit rate of his career. On the other hand, his barrel rate and launch angle are at the lowest points of his career since 2016. He's hitting the ball hard and into the ground. If he lifts, good things happen, see McCann
— Jack Ramsey (@jackramseymmo) June 1, 2021
As you can see, it was never a matter of hitting the ball weakly.
It was clear that some additional work and adjustments would unlock his talent, and that’s just what has happened.
1. 112 Miles Per Hour Max Exit Velocity
How de we know Lindor is still strong enough to hit 30 home runs in a season?
By looking, among other things, at his max exit velocity.
As his 112 mph batted ball suggests, he is still a powerful shortstop.
It’s not that far off his hardest hit ball (114.5 mph in 2018) and beats his 2015, 2017, and 2020 marks.
Lindor still has his plate discipline and ability to hit the ball hard intact, so with a few tweaks in his swing, he has been able to lift the ball and maximize his quality of contact again.
Leave a Reply