Paul Articulates – The case for Francisco Lindor

Francisco Lindor has been outstanding for the Mets all year (well, except for the first 5-6 weeks).  There is no doubt that he carried this team deep into the playoffs with his clutch play, his leadership, and his ability to overcome any obstacle including a back problem.  Every broadcast you hear, either local or national credits Lindor with being a top two MVP candidate.

So why is he consistently snubbed in awards recognition?  He was left off the NL all-star team, and now he is not even a finalist for a gold glove in the NL.  Instead the 30 MLB managers and up to six coaches from each team voted for Dansby Swanson(Cubs), Ezequiel Tovar (Rockies), and rookie Masyn Winn (Cardinals).

Dansby Swanson has won the last two gold gloves and truly deserves to be among the finalists.  He once again dazzled in the field with +18 OAA which was tops in the National League.

I find it hard to imagine that Lindor does not favorably compare to either Tovar or Winn.  Lindor had 16 OAA, Tovar had 15 OAA, and Winn had only 3 OAA. Lindor was once again steady in the field as he has been throughout his tenure with the Mets.  He recorded 12 errors in 151 games, compiling a fielding percentage of .979.  Meanwhile, Swanson muffed only 5 chances on his way to a .990 fielding percentage.  Tovar had 8 errors for a fielding percentage of .988 in 157 games and Winn had 18 errors for a relatively low fielding percentage of .971 in 148 games at short with the Cards.

Here is a compilation of relevant stats thanks to Baseball Savant and FanGraphs:

As you can see, Lindor deserves a finalist spot from the statistics.  I still don’t understand why Maysn Winn gets a shot, as he has inferior stats to the other three in all categories except Defensive Runs Saved, which has been a very questionable stat recently as it does not correlate to other defensive metrics. 

Awards competitions lend themselves to comparisons and rightly so.  But this is not about diminishing the accomplishments of a Maysn Winn or Ezequiel Tovar as it is about questioning why Francisco Lindor does not more recognition from those in the game.  Lindor displays more class on the baseball field than just about any other player.  He has hit some home runs this year that were monumental season-changing blows but he never showed up the other team.  There was no five second pause at the plate to admire the arc or slow trots or helmet bashing conclusions.  He put his head down, ran around the bases, and celebrated with his team in the dugout.  He has made spectacular fielding plays look easy but other than flashing a smile and touching gloves with an infielder there is no showmanship.  Opposing managers, coaches, and players should have the utmost respect for the fact that his competitive spirit is displayed by all-out effort, not all-out celebrations after the fact.

Francisco Lindor’s play at short is not just defined by metrics even though those metrics are great.  He is the center of communication for the infield and is always part of the huddle on the mound providing his wisdom and encouragement.  

One can argue all day about the MVP race, and if Lindor comes in second it will only be due to the unparalleled record-setting season by Shohei Ohtani.  But when it comes to the Gold Glove at shortstop, I think they got it wrong by not even including him in the final discussion. I don’t think that is driven by my bias as a Mets fan – it seems from the numbers and from the intangibles to be justified.