How Mets' Francisco Lindor used key tenets to get back into swing
By Jake Mintz
FOX Sports MLB Writer
Things did not start smoothly for Francisco Lindor in Queens.
The charismatic, kaleidoscope-haired shortstop was dealt to the Mets in January 2021 and two months later signed a 10-year, $341 million deal that will keep him in blue and orange (and black on Fridays) through the 2031 season. With that massive contract came massive expectations, and for the first two months of last season, Lindor’s on-field production didn’t live up to the hype or the dollar figure.
In his first 200 plate appearances as a Met, Lindor was hapless, posting a microscopic .194 batting average and .589 OPS. Through the end of May '21, he’d homered just four times (and this was back when the ball carried). It wasn't enough of a sample for full-blown panic, but there was certainly concern about how dynamic Lindor might be over the length of his new contract.
Fortunately for the Mets, Lindor seems to have figured things out. Since May 29, 2021, he has a sturdy 119 WRC+. Only Milwaukee's Willy Adames has more homers among shortstops. Even with the super-dead 2022 baseball, Lindor has six bombs and six doubles so far this season. He might never return to his 2018 offensive peak, when he whacked 38 big flies and finished sixth in the MVP race, but he has definitely reestablished himself as a productive big-league hitter, especially for a shortstop.
As a switch-hitter, Lindor has double the swing maintenance compared to most major-league batters. So while he’s best known for his fun-loving and jovial personality on the diamond, the Puerto Rican star is also incredibly thoughtful and introspective when it comes to the finer points of hitting.
To learn more about Francisco Lindor, The Hitter, FOX Sports recently sat down with the Mets’ face of the franchise to discuss his Three Commandments of Hitting.
1. Feel comfortable in your pre-pitch position.
Lindor firmly believes that a pre-pitch approach is purposeful only if a hitter puts his body in position to act upon it. He explained that you can tell yourself whatever you want in the batter’s box — whether it’s "pull it in the air" or "simplify and go up the middle" — but if you aren’t oriented in a way that allows you to get your swing off, it’s pointless.
"You need to give your body time to get in the right position to be successful," he said. "Your body has got to be aligned. Timing, rhythm. I don't care if you finish weird or if you end weird, just allow your body to do what your mind is telling you."
Over the years, Lindor has altered his stance slightly from both sides of the plate. While his hands have always been abnormally close to his chest pre-load, he has moved them even closer to his body the past few seasons.
The most notable change, though, is how upright Lindor looks in the box.
Most hitters have some bend in the waist, their torso hinging forward slightly in line with their knee bend, but Lindor’s spine pre-pitch is almost completely north-south. It’s an incredibly relaxed-looking position, but that makes sense, considering this hitting commandment.
Sure, it looks a bit odd, but Lindor feels comfortable and prepared to activate his approach, which is paramount.
2. Stay inside the baseball.
"I always try to stay inside the baseball and continue to stay inside the baseball through my swing," Lindor said. "I fight to stay inside the ball."
For a pull-heavy hitter such as Lindor, who pulls the ball at a 49.1% clip, 17th-highest in MLB, to be so intentional about trying to stay inside the baseball feels odd at first glance. "Staying inside the baseball," a phrase you’ll hear broadcasters say a lot, is generally associated with hitting a pitch to the opposite field or "going the other way." That dynamic is pretty intuitive; if your hands stay "inside the ball" (aka between your body and the baseball) instead of "casting" out and around the ball, you’re more likely to hit it away from you.
But it’s slightly more complicated than that.
Because Lindor is a switch-hitter who never faces same-sided pitching, the pitch always looks like it's coming at him, meaning his hands are always between his body and the baseball. Thinking about staying inside the ball, even when he’s actively trying to pull it, allows Lindor to stay compact throughout his swing.
This is the difference between "pulling" and "yanking." Keeping his hands close to his body leads to a more impactful bat path. That means that instead of yanking balls foul with side spin, Lindor can get his bat to a position to hit inside pitches with backspin. Robinson Canó, before the two PED suspensions, was the master of this concept: a compact, pull-focused, powerful swing.
3. Understand that you will fail.
Dealing with failure is part of being a big leaguer. If you allow the struggles to get to you, the game will chew you up and spit you out before you know it. The players who struggle with struggling usually get weeded out in the minor leagues. But Lindor’s remarkably difficult start as a Met likely forced him to revisit his approach to failure.
"It's tough to go a week without getting a hit," he said. "Going to your job and feeling like you’re not going to be successful, that's rough."
But according to Lindor, the only way out is through. Drastically altering one’s swing or approach after years of sustained success at the highest level could only exacerbate the issue. So Lindor drew upon his first full season as a minor leaguer back in 2012, when he suffered through an extended rough patch with the Low-A Lake County Captains. That experience taught him that failure is part of the business and allowing it to define you is dangerous.
"It’s OK. Failure is OK," he said. "Just keep working, keep at it and understand that failure will happen."
Jake Mintz is the louder half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He’s an Orioles fan living in New York City, and thus, he leads a lonely existence most Octobers. If he’s not watching baseball, he’s almost certainly riding his bike. You can follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.
