Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor appears to be channeling the unseen recycled energy of Yoenis Cespesdes. He has been carrying the Mets’ offense since the All-Star break, with 10 home runs and 26 RBI earlier this week and 27 home runs and 78 RBI total when MLB games began Tuesday.
It was in 2015 when the former Mets outfielder looked out of this world after the team signed him in a deal with the Detroit Tigers just minutes before the July 31 trade deadline.
Cespedes thrilled the Mets fan base and buoyed the franchise as it won its first NL East title in nine years and first championship since 2000. It was Cespedes’ MVP-like performance in the 57 regular season games he played for the Mets that season – 17 home runs and excellent, if not spectacular, defense – that fans fondly remember.
While the chances of the Mets catching the NL East leaders Philadelphia Phillies for the division title this year are slim, it is possible they could overtake the Atlanta Braves, who were second in the NL East and in the third wild-card spot yesterday. The Mets were third in the NL East at 68-63 when they began a three-game road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
The Diamondbacks were 75-56, had won six in a row and were leading the wild-card hunt. The Phillies were 77-54 and nine games ahead of New York. The Braves were 71-60 and three games ahead of the Mets in the wild-card hunt. Lindor has tried to change that.
On Saturday, Lindor hit two home runs, one from each side of the plate, including a grand slam in the fourth inning, in a 7-1 road win over the San Diego Padres (another team the Mets are targeting as the Padres were battling for the second wild-card position on Tuesday).
“It’s definitely a cool feeling to hit home runs from both sides,” Lindor said. “It’s one of those shots where, as you’re walking the bases, you think, ‘Wow, my swing is good. I’m pretty well aligned.'”
Lindor has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball since Mets manager Carlos Mendoza moved him to the leadoff spot on May 18.
After the Padres, the Mets will face the White Sox in three games in Chicago from tomorrow through Sunday and then play the Boston Red Sox in three games at Citi Field from Monday through Wednesday.
