| Francisco Lindor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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_(cropped).jpg) Lindor with the Mets in 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New York Mets – No. 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shortstop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: (1993-11-14)November 14, 1993 (age 32) Caguas, Puerto Rico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| June 14, 2015, for the Cleveland Indians | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .273 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hits | 1,664 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 279 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 856 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stolen bases | 216 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Francisco Miguel Lindor Serrano (born November 14, 1993), nicknamed "Mr. Smile", is a Puerto Rican professionalbaseballshortstop for theNew York Mets ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for theCleveland Indians. He is a right-handed thrower andswitch hitter.
Born inCaguas, Puerto Rico, Lindor began playing baseball at an early age, and he moved with his family toFlorida when he was 12. He became the Indians' first-round selection, and eighth overall, in the2011 MLB draft. In the minor leagues, he participated in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game, and by 2013, was rated byBaseball America as the Indians' top overall prospect.
Lindorbatted over .300 in both his first two major league seasons and provided elite defense. In 2016, he led the Indians to aWorld Series appearance and earned his firstAll-Star selection andGold Glove Award, becoming the first Puerto Rican shortstop to win the Gold Glove Award.[1] He placed second in theAmerican LeagueRookie of the Year voting in 2015 and won his firstSilver Slugger Award in 2017. During the2017 World Baseball Classic, playing for thePuerto Rico national baseball team, Lindor was named to the2017 All-WBC Team. Lindor was traded to the Mets following the 2020 season and later signed a 10-year, $341 million extension with the team. In 2023, he joined the30–30 club for the first time. Since 2016, Lindor has made the All-Star Game five times, won two Gold Gloves, and fourSilver Slugger Awards.
Lindor was born inCaguas, Puerto Rico, on November 14, 1993, the third of four children of Miguel Angel Lindor and Maria Serrano.[2][3][4] He began playing baseball at a young age, assisted by his father, who would hit himground balls from the top of a hill while the younger Lindor stood partway down the slope, attempting to field them.[5] Lindor's favorite baseball players as a child were all middle infielders:Roberto Alomar,Omar Vizquel,Derek Jeter,Jimmy Rollins andBarry Larkin.[6]
Lindor moved toCentral Florida at the age of 12, with his father, stepmother, and youngest sibling, and was enrolled at theMontverde Academyprep school.[3] After he signed with theCleveland Indians in August 2011, his mother and two older siblings joined him in Florida.[2]
Lindor attendedMontverde Academy inMontverde, Florida.[7] The school's baseball facility was named after him in 2013.[8] He was named to theUSA Today All-USA high school baseball team. The Indians drafted Lindor in the first round (eighth overall) of the2011 MLB draft. He had a full-ride scholarship offer in place with theFlorida State Seminoles baseball team but chose to sign with the Indians for $2.9 million in August.[9][10] In September, Lindor was drafted by theIndios de Mayagüez in the second round of theLiga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente's (LBPRC) first-year draft.[11] However, he has been unable to play there due to Cleveland's intervention. On May 7, 2014, the Indios de Mayagüez traded Lindor's LBPRC player rights to theGigantes de Carolina in exchange forCarlos Correa.[12] However, only two weeks later theCangrejeros de Santurce signed him by exploiting a legal loophole declaring that any player that has not been officially contracted within three years after being drafted is considered a free agent.[13]
Lindor began his professional career with the Low-ANew York–Penn LeagueMahoning Valley Scrappers during the 2011 season and appeared in four games.[14]MLB.com rated Lindor as the 32nd best prospect in baseball before the 2012 season.[15] He was assigned to theLake County Captains of theSingle-AMidwest League, and named to appear in the 2012All-Star Futures Game.[16] In 122 games for Lake County, Lindor had a .257batting average with six home runs, 42 RBI, 33 extra-base hits and 27stolen bases.[17]
Prior to the 2012 season,Baseball America ranked him as the Indians top prospect.[18] Lindor started the 2013 season with theCarolina Mudcats of theHigh-ACarolina League. He was promoted to theAkron Aeros of theDouble-AEastern League on July 15, 2013.[19] Between the two affiliates, Lindor batted .303 with two home runs, 34 RBI, 31 extra-base hits, and 25 stolen bases in 104 games.[17]
Lindor began the 2014 season with Akron. The Indians promoted Lindor to theColumbus Clippers of theTriple-AInternational League on July 21, 2014.[17] In 126 games between the two clubs, he batted .276 with 11 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases.[20] Lindor began the 2015 season with Columbus.[21]
The Indians purchased Lindor's contract from Columbus on June 14, 2015, and added him to the active roster.[22] In 59 games for Columbus prior to his promotion, he was batting .284 with two home runs and 22 RBIs. He made his debut with the Indians that day as apinch hitter. He stayed in the game and recorded his first major league hit.[23][24] Lindor won theAmerican League Rookie of the Month Award for September, during which he batted .362.[25] He finished the 2015 season with a .313batting average, 12 home runs, 51 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and 22 doubles in 99 games for the Indians.[26] He placed second in theAL Rookie of the Year Award voting.[27]
In 2016, Lindor finished the season with a .301 batting average, 15 home runs, 78 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, 15sacrifice flies (leading the majors), and 30 doubles in 158 games for the Indians.[28][29] He was named aGold Glove Award finalist at shortstop along withJose Iglesias andAndrelton Simmons.[30] In the2016 MLB postseason, Lindor's seven multi-hit games broke the record for most ever for a player less than 23 years old. His 16 postseason hits are also the most hits by a batter since 1997, and he's the youngest Cleveland batter to have six World Series hits.[31] Following the 2016 season, Lindor was presented with his firstGold Glove Award and first Platinum Glove Award.[32][33] Lindor was the 2016Esurance MLB/This Year in Baseball Award winner for Best Defensive Player.[34] He finished ninth in the ALMost Valuable Player Award (MVP) voting.[35]
On April 5, 2017, Lindor hit his first careergrand slam, doing so against theTexas Rangers, as the Indians won 9−6 and swept the season-opening series.[36] On July 22, Lindor hit his first careerwalk-off home run in the 10th inning versus theToronto Blue Jays for a 2−1 victory.[37]
In Game 2 of the2017 AL Division Series against theNew York Yankees, Lindor became the third shortstop in major league history to hit a grand slam in the postseason.[38]
In 159 games for Cleveland, Lindor batted .273 with 33 home runs and 89 RBIs. End of season awards for Lindor in 2017 included selection as shortstop onBaseball America's All-MLB Team,[39] and his first careerSilver Slugger Award at shortstop.[40] He finished fifth in the AL MVP voting,[41] and was selected as the cover athlete of thevideo gameR.B.I. Baseball 18.[42]
Lindor won the first two ALPlayer of the Week Awards of his career in consecutive weeks of May 6 and 13, 2018. For the week of May 6, he led MLB with 17 hits, 11 runs scored, and 33 total bases over eight games. He also batted .426 with four doubles and four home runs. However, he committed critical errors on consecutive dates that led to losses against theNew York Yankees in both games.[43] The following week, he hit four home runs and five RBI.[44] In the May 12 game versus theKansas City Royals, Lindor both homered and doubled twice. On June 1, he again homered twice and doubled twice versus theMinnesota Twins, including hitting the game-winning home run in the eighth inning. He became the fourth player in history to produce at least two doubles and two home runs in a single game twice in one season, followingRafael Palmeiro (1993),Jim Edmonds (2003), andAdrián Beltré (2007).[45] Due to his tremendous month of May, Lindor was named ALPlayer of the Month. He led all players with 44 hits and 27 runs scored. His .373 batting average was third and his 1.169 OPS was placed fourth among all players in at least 100 plate appearances.[46]
Lindor collected three hits and four runs scored including a home run, on July 1 against theOakland Athletics.[47] On July 2, he homered twice, including a grand slam and another for three runs, for a career-high seven RBI to power a 9–3 victory over the Royals. He became the second shortstop in the franchise history to drive in seven runs in a game, followingChico Carrasquel against theKansas City Athletics on April 26, 1956.[48][49] On July 9, Lindor was selected to the2018 All-Star Game, his third consecutive All-Star appearance. On July 10, Lindor scored his 80th run before the All-Star break, thus breaking the record for most by a Puerto Rican MLB player which was previously 79 runs in 1996 byEdgar Martínez.[50] On August 8, Lindor hit a three-runwalk-off home run in the 9th inning versus theMinnesota Twins for a 5–2 victory.[51] For the season, he batted .277 and was 3rd in the league inpower–speed number (30.2), winning theSilver Slugger Award in consecutive years.[52]
Lindor was the lone offensive spark for the Indians in the2018 AL Division Series, batting .364 with 2 home runs, but the Indians were swept in 3 games by theHouston Astros. Outside of Lindor, the rest of the team batted .144 in the three-game sweep and bowed out of the playoffs in the first round for the second year in a row.
On April 26, 2019, Lindor hit two home runs to lead the Indians to a 6–3 victory over theHouston Astros. They were the 100th and 101st home runs of his career, and it was the ninth multi-home run game of his career.[53] After the season Lindor was again anAll-Star and won his secondGold Glove Award at shortstop. He played in 143 games for Cleveland, batting .284/.335/.518 with 32 home runs, 22 stolen bases, and 74 RBI.[54] He finished fifteenth in MVP voting.[55]
Lindor struggled in 2020,[56] as he batted .258 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs in theCOVID-19 pandemic shortened-60 game season.[55] His batting average,on-base percentage,slugging percentage and wRC+ were all career worsts and he struggled especially againstbreaking pitches.[57] His defense, however, remained among the best in the league.[58]
On January 7, 2021, the Indians traded Lindor andCarlos Carrasco to theNew York Mets forAmed Rosario,Andrés Giménez,Josh Wolf, andIsaiah Greene.[59][60][61]
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On March 31, 2021, just hours before Lindor's deadline ofOpening Day on April 1, the Mets and Lindor agreed to a 10-year, $341 million extension that would keep him with the team through 2031.[62] Lindor struggled during the first half of the2021 season and wasbooed by theCiti Field home crowd on multiple occasions.[63][64] Lindor went 3-for-4 with two home runs off ofWashington Nationals starterJoe Ross, accounting for all five RBIs in the Mets' 5–1 victory on June 19.[65] In aSubway Series showdown on September 12, Lindor hit three home runs in the same game for the first time in his career.[66] The boys of Puerto Rican podcast "Los Del Colegio Podcast" created the chant "Lindor es tu papá" which means "Lindor is your daddy", referring to an altercation withGiancarlo Stanton in that game.[67] He finished the season batting .230/.322/.412 with 20 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and 63 RBI in 125 games played.[55]
On May 31, 2022, Lindor was namedNational League Player of the Week. He drove in a run in every game during that week and slashed .348/.407/.870. It was his third time receiving that distinction in either league, and his first time with the Mets.[68] He also notched the 500th RBI of his career on May 23, as he brought home two runs on a ground-rule double to lead the Mets to a 13–3 victory atOracle Park.[69] On August 14, Lindor recorded his 82nd RBI of the season, breakingJosé Reyes' Mets franchise record for the most RBIs recorded in a season by a shortstop, in a 6–0 victory over thePhiladelphia Phillies.[70] On September 15, Lindor hit his 24th home run of the season against thePittsburgh Pirates, setting a new Mets single season record for most home runs by a shortstop. He also recorded his 93rd and 94th RBIs of the season, a new career high.[71] Lindor finished the 2022 season batting .270/.339/.449 with 26 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and 107 RBI in 161 games played.[72]
At the end of the season, Lindor was announced as the 2022 winner of theMarvin Miller Man of the Year Award.[73][74] On December 6, 2022, Lindor was named to theAll-MLB Second Team.[75]
On June 27, 2023, during a game against theMilwaukee Brewers, Lindor hit his 200th career home run, off of pitcherJulio Teherán.[76] On July 6 against theArizona Diamondbacks, Lindor went 5-for-5 with two singles, two triples, and a home run with an RBI and three runs scored. He became the first shortstop in MLB history (and only the seventh player overall) to have a five-hit game that included two triples and at least one home run. Lindor is also the first player in Mets franchise history with two triples in the first three innings of a game.[77] On September 27, Lindor hit three home runs in adoubleheader against theMiami Marlins, completing his first career30–30 season. He became the fourth player in Mets history to accomplish the feat joiningDarryl Strawberry,Howard Johnson, andDavid Wright.[78] Lindor finished the 2023 season batting .254/.336/.470 with 31 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and 98 RBI in 160 games played.[79]
After the season, Lindor was awarded his third careerSilver Slugger Award, and his first since signing with the Mets. He was also awarded with aGold Glove Award finalist along withDansby Swanson andEzequiel Tovar.[80][81]
After a slow start to the season, batting with a slash line of .197/.280/.359 in April, new managerCarlos Mendoza moved Lindor to the leadoff spot in the lineup on May 18. Over the next 46 games leading up to the All-Star break, he hit 18 doubles and nine home runs, batting in 27 runs and scoring 35 of his own, with a slash line of .290/.351/.520 in June.[82][83] On August 21, Lindor hit his 25th home run of the season in a victory against theBaltimore Orioles, making him the first shortstop in MLB history to have three separate seasons with at least 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases, having done so already in 2018 and 2023.[84]
On August 26, Lindor was namedNational League Player of the Week. Across seven games, he scored six runs, hit three home runs including a grand slam against theSan Diego Padres, four doubles, and a slash line of .348/.407/.870.[85] On September 3, during a game against theBoston Red Sox, Lindor hit his 30th home run of the season, becoming the 3rd shortstop in MLB history with at least 5 seasons with 30 home runs as a shortstop, joiningErnie Banks (7) andAlex Rodriguez (7).[86] He also stole his 26th base on the same day, making Lindor one of three Mets players with multiple seasons of at least 30 home runs and 25 steals, joiningHoward Johnson andDarryl Strawberry.[87]
On September 13, Lindor exited the game in the 7th inning against thePhiladelphia Phillies due to lower back pain after an awkward slide at second base, and was unable to play the next day.[88] While he was back in the lineup on September 15, Lindor was pulled after gingerly running to first base following a single.[89] He eventually returned to the lineup again on September 27 against theMilwaukee Brewers in an 8–4 loss, going 2-for-4 with one walk.[90] On September 30, in the penultimate game of the season, Lindor hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the 9th inning to give the Mets an 8–7 lead over theAtlanta Braves, which proved the final score, and allowed the Mets to clinch a spot in the2024 MLB postseason.[91]
Lindor played in 152 games for the Mets in 2024, batting .273/.344/.500 with 33 home runs, 29 stolen bases, 107 runs scored, and 91 RBI.[92]
In Game 4 of the2024 NL Division Series against thePhiladelphia Phillies, Lindor hit a grand slam off pitcherCarlos Estévez in the bottom of the 6th inning to lift the Mets to a 4–1 lead and propel them to theNL Championship Series.[93] He became the third player, afterJim Thome andShane Victorino, to hit two grand slams in the postseason, having previously done so in Game 2 of the2017 AL Division Series.[94] Across 13 postseason games, Lindor had 2 home runs and 8 RBI, scoring 11 runs and hitting to a slash line of .275/.387/.490.[95]
After the conclusion of the postseason, Lindor was awarded his fourthSilver Slugger Award and named to theAll-MLB Second Team for the third year in a row.[96][97] He was also voted aNational League MVP finalist, alongsideShohei Ohtani andKetel Marte, for the first time in his career.[98] Lindor ultimately finished second in MVP voting to the unanimous winner, Ohtani, earning 23 second-place votes and appearing in the top three on every ballot.[99]
On April 7, 2025, during a game against theMiami Marlins, Lindor notched his 1,500th career hit, a single to left field off of pitcherTyler Phillips in the bottom of the 5th inning as he went 3-for-4 with three singles and a run in a 2–0 Mets victory.[100] On April 18, Lindor hit his firstwalk-off home run as a Met, a solo blast to right field off of pitcherRyan Fernandez, giving the Mets a 5–4 win over theSt. Louis Cardinals.[101] The walk-off was also Lindor's 250th career home run.[102] On April 21, Lindor hit two home runs in a 5–4 victory over thePhiladelphia Phillies, a lead off homer againstAaron Nola in the 1st inning, and a three-run blast off ofJosé Ruiz in the 7th. This marked the 20th multi-home run game of his career, making Lindor the third shortstop in MLB history with 20 multi-homer games, afterErnie Banks (24) andAlex Rodriguez (33).[103]
On June 1, Lindor hit the 261st home run of his career in a 5–3 victory over theColorado Rockies, passingDerek Jeter for the 4th most home runs by a shortstop in MLB history.[104][105] On June 4, Lindor's right pinky toe was broken by ahit by pitch fromTony Gonsolin during a game against theLos Angeles Dodgers. This caused him to miss one game before returning to the lineup on June 6, as a pinch hitter with two outs in the ninth inning tied during a game against the Rockies atCoors Field. He hit a two-run double to give the Mets a 4–2 win, the first go-ahead pinch-hit RBI of his career, and he returned to the starting lineup the following game.[106] The Mets won 28 straight games in which Lindor hit a home run, one short of tying the record of 29 held byCarl Furillo. This streak was broken on June 22, when he drove in the team's only run in a 7–1 loss to the Phillies.[107][108]
On July 2, Lindor was selected as the National League's starting shortstop in the2025 All-Star Game, marking his first selection as a Met and his fifth overall. He joinsBud Harrelson andJosé Reyes as the only Mets shortstops to start anAll-Star Game.[109][110] Lindor recorded his 200th career stolen base on July 12 in a 3–1 victory over theKansas City Royals, becoming the third shortstop in MLB history with 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, joiningJimmy Rollins andDerek Jeter.[111][112]
On August 16, Lindor became the first MLB shortstop to have 5 seasons of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in his career.[113] After Lindor went 14-for-25 (.560 average) on the week of August 12-17, he was awardedNL Player of the Week.[114] On August 21, Lindor hit his 8thleadoff home run of the season, passingCurtis Granderson for the most leadoff home runs in a season by a Mets player.[115] On August 29, Lindor stole his 25th base of the season in a victory against theMiami Marlins, making him the first shortstop in MLB history to have four separate seasons with at least 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases, having done so already in 2018, 2023, and 2024.[116] On September 25, Lindor hit his 30th home run of the season against theChicago Cubs, a solo home run in the third inning. With that homer, Lindor achieved his second career30–30 season, his first since 2023, and became the second shortstop to ever have two of them, joiningBobby Witt Jr. With that, Lindor became the fifth player to join the 30–30 club in 2025. Also, he and teammateJuan Soto became the third set of teammates in MLB history to ever go 30–30 in the same season, joiningHoward Johnson andDarryl Strawberry (1987) andDante Bichette andEllis Burks (1996).[117][118][119][120]
Lindor played in 160 games for the Mets in 2025, batting .267/.346/.466 with 31 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and 86 RBI.[92] On October 22, 2025, it was announced that Lindor had undergone a right elbowdebridement procedure.[121]
In 2010, he played for the 18U United States team in the2010 World Junior Baseball Championship, inThunder Bay, Ontario. They finished in fifth place despite only losing one game. Lindor was named to theAll-IBAF Juniors Team in his position at shortstop.[122][123]
Lindor played for thePuerto Rican national team at the2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC).[124] He was selected the MVP of Pool D, where team Puerto Rico attained a 3–0 record. His offensive stats in the first round included five hits in 11 at bats for a .455 average, two HR, four RBI, and four runs scored.[125] Puerto Rico went undefeated in the first and second rounds until losing to theUnited States in the championship game. Following the conclusion of the tournament, he was named to the2017 All-WBC team.[126]
Lindor once again played for the Puerto Rican national team at the2023 World Baseball Classic and was madeteam captain after a vote from the players.[127] He hit to a .450 average with six runs, five RBI, and one triple through five games.[128] Lindor also ran out aninside-the-park home run in 15.7 seconds to secure a win against theDominican Republic, a victory which ensured Puerto Rico's advancement to thequarterfinals and qualification for the2026 World Baseball Classic.[129][130] Puerto Rico then lost toMexico in the quarterfinals, with Lindor going 2–5 on two singles in their final game.[131]
Lindor will reprise his role as team captain for Puerto Rico in the2026 World Baseball Classic.[132]
Lindor married his wife Katia (née Reguero) on December 16, 2021 inMiami, Florida.[133] They have three children.[134]
| Title | Times | Dates | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Leaguechampion | 1 | 2016 | [135] |
Note:Through 2025 season. PerBaseball-Reference.com.
| Category | Times | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Assists atshortstop leader | 1 | 2023 |
| At bats leader | 3 | 2017, 2018, 2025 |
| Double plays turned at shortstop leader | 1 | 2017 |
| Plate appearances leader | 4 | 2017, 2018, 2020, 2025 |
| Putouts at shortstop leader | 1 | 2022 |
| Runs scored leader | 1 | 2018 |
| Sacrifice flies leader | 1 | 2016 |
| Sacrifice hits leader | 1 | 2015 |
| Category | Times | Seasons | Category | Times | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted on-base plus slugging | 1 | 2024 | Plate appearances | 6 | 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 |
| Assists | 5 | 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2025 | Power-speed # | 7 | 2017–19, 2022–25 |
| Assists atshortstop | 7 | 2016–18, 2022–25 | Putouts at shortstop | 9 | 2016–20, 2022–25 |
| At bats | 7 | 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022–25 | Runs scored | 6 | 2017, 2018, 2022–25 |
| Doubles | 5 | 2017–19, 2024, 2025 | Runs batted in | 1 | 2022 |
| Double plays at shortstop | 9 | 2016–20, 2022–25 | Sacrifice flies | 5 | 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025 |
| Extra base hits | 5 | 2017–19, 2024, 2025 | Sacrifice hits | 2 | 2015, 2017 |
| Fielding percentage at shortstop | 7 | 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022–24 | Singles | 2 | 2016, 2022 |
| Games played | 6 | 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2025 | Slugging percentage | 2 | 2018, 2024 |
| Hits | 6 | 2016–18, 2022, 2024, 2025 | Stolen bases | 4 | 2018, 2019, 2023, 2025 |
| Hit by pitch | 2 | 2024, 2025 | Times on base | 6 | 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 |
| Home runs | 3 | 2018, 2024, 2025 | Total bases | 4 | 2017, 2018, 2024, 2025 |
| Intentional base on balls | 4 | 2017–20 | Triples | 1 | 2022 |
| On-base plus slugging | 2 | 2018, 2024 | Wins above replacement | 3 | 2018, 2023, 2024 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | American League Player of the Month May 2019 | Succeeded by |
Francisco Lindor—awards, championships, and honors | |
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