Francisco Lindor is having one of the best seasons ever by a Mets position player. Now this is something that fans and analysts are saying. This is a statement coming straight from Mets President of Baseball Operations David Streans. This means a lot coming from Streans. For one Streans grew up a Mets fan so he has a pretty good idea of the history of the franchise. Second Streans is a guy who keeps his opinions of his players close to his chest. So for him to complement Lindor like that shows how good he has been this season. This has led many fans to consider Lindor as a possible MVP candidate. So what makes Lindor a candidate for MVP, and how does his resume stack up against the rest?
Lindor MVP Resume
To begin with, let’s look at Lindor’s stats so far this season. In 139 games he’s slashing .273/.343/.500 good for an .843 OPS with 30 home runs and 84 RBIs. It’s not just his counting stats that are impressive, but his advanced numbers are as well. He currently has an OPS+ of 137 with a .362 wOBA and a wRC+ of 137. To top it all off his WAR is 7.2. All extremely impressive numbers. Without question, Lindor is getting it done with the bat. It isn’t even a debate anymore, he’s the best bat in the Mets lineup. Manager Carlos Mendoza even backed this point up saying “Every time he’s at the plate, there’s a good feeling.”
However, he’s just as dangerous on the basepath as well. Currently has 26 steals on 30 attempts. That gives him a stolen base percentage of 87%. That would be impressive for any player, but factor in his power numbers and Lindor is on pace for something historic. It’s safe to assume that Lindor is in to produce a 30-30 season, which would make him the eighth player in history to have back-to-back 30-30 seasons. This is just what he’s doing at the plate, it doesn’t take into account the gold glove caliber defense he has displayed at short.
Why He’s More Desvering Than Shohei Ohtani
The only other candidate for NL MVP is Shohei Ohtani. Per usual Ohtani is having another season we’ll tell our kids about. Ohtani is slashing .292/.377/.617 good for a .995 OPS with 44 home runs and 99 RBIs. His home run and OPS are good enough to lead the National League. Now based on the numbers alone, you would say that Ohtani has a much better case than Lindor. All of his numbers are better than Lindor’s.
However, several factors give Lindor the edge over Ohtani. The first one is that Ohtani is only a DH. Meaning that all he does is bat. It’s much easier to put up better offensive numbers when that’s all you have to focus on. Instead of going out in the field, Ohtani can watch film until it’s his next turn at-bats. Lindor is putting up good offensive numbers, as well as playing elite defense.
The biggest edge for Lindor has come from home people describe the MVP award. Does it go to the best player or the player that provides the most value for their team? If it’s the latter then it has to go to Lindor. Sure Ohtani’s performance provides a lot of value to Dodgers. However, there are a lot of talented hitters in the Dodgers lineup. Take Ohtani out and not much changes. They’d still be in first in the NL West. Unlike the Mets. If you take Lindor out of the Mets lineup, instead of being a half-game out of the Wild Card spot, they’re probably ten games out.
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