{"id":151476,"date":"2021-01-11T02:22:14","date_gmt":"2021-01-10T23:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/mets-francisco-lindor-can-be-new-yorks-next-icon\/"},"modified":"2021-01-11T02:22:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T23:22:14","slug":"mets-francisco-lindor-can-be-new-yorks-next-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mets-francisco-lindor-can-be-new-yorks-next-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"#Mets’ Francisco Lindor can be New York’s next icon"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Mets’ Francisco Lindor can be New York’s next icon<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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A switch-hitting Mets shortstop with impossible-to-miss enthusiasm and a five-borough smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know Francisco,\u201d Jose Reyes wrote in a text message. \u201cHe\u2019s a tremendous ballplayer and a good guy, and I think he will do very well here in New York. He\u2019s a guy who brings a lot of energy and excitement, and that always goes well in this town.\u201d<\/p>\n

A switch-hitting Puerto Rican with remarkable polish and poise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him, \u2018You have a chance to do some great things in this game<\/a>,\u2019\u201d Roberto Alomar said. \u201cYou have a chance to be in the Hall of Fame.\u201d<\/p>\n

A New York shortstop who can elevate his sport as well as his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my mind, I think he\u2019s this generation\u2019s Derek Jeter,\u201d Marlins regional crosschecker Mike Soper said. \u201cHe\u2019s that type of guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

An icon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember sitting at the Cape [Cod] with his agent, David Meter. Our negotiations weren\u2019t going anywhere,\u201d said Brad Grant, the Indians\u2019 vice president of baseball operations, strategy and administration. \u201cDavid was like, \u2018He wants to be LeBron. He wants to be up on the Sherwin-Williams building<\/a>. He wants to be the face of the franchise. He wants to be Mr. Cleveland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, Mets fans can think real big about Francisco Lindor, their newest dynamo, whose arrival last week in a trade from the Indians (along with starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco) reignited the Steve Cohen honeymoon.<\/p>\n

\"Francisco
Francisco Lindor<\/figcaption>
Bill Kostroun\/New York Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Monday, the Mets will formally introduce Lindor in a Zoom news<\/a> conference, and the 27-year-old, who can become a free agent next offseason, surely will face questions about his long-term plans. Such questions stand as the largest surrounding Lindor, for even in the wake of a career-worst showing during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, no questions whatsoever exist about how good he can be or how bright his star can shine. Already, he has made four All-Star teams and placed on four American League Most Valuable Player ballots, making Alomar\u2019s prescribed ambition quite reasonable.<\/p>\n

Really, Lindor\u2019s baseball life has been defined far more by conviction than doubt. Which helps explain how someone can acquire the nickname \u201cMr. Smile.\u201d Or, conversely, how the confidence and comfort reflected in such a perpetual smile can lead to certainty.<\/p>\n

At the age of 12, Lindor, already displaying promise after learning the game from his father, Miguel, moved from Puerto Rico to Central Florida so he could enroll in Montverde Academy, an international school known for strong athletic programs, simplifying a path to professional ball. Lindor learned English and acclimated to life in the United States\u2019 mainland as he refined his game.<\/p>\n

Soper, then the Indians\u2019 area scout, recalled seeing Lindor for the first time during his sophomore year at Montverde, at a tournament in Winter Haven, Fla.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I can say is, he was one of the most exciting players I\u2019ve ever scouted,\u201d Soper said. \u201cThe energy level was off the charts. He was very intense, but in a good way. He was smiling all the time. He had fun. He had energy playing the game. You could tell that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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