Despite struggles, Francisco Lindor has found a way to elevate the NY Mets lineup

There are a few things in baseball you can pencil in every year without even checking the schedule. Death, taxes, and a slow start to the season from New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. It has almost become part of the routine, where the production takes a little time to show up. The difference this time is that even without the hits piling up yet, something underneath the surface already feels a little different.

Instead of chasing his way into rhythm, Lindor has quietly started stacking quality at-bats by taking what pitchers are giving him. The ball is not flying off the bat yet, but the approach is doing its job. If that one adjustment keeps showing up night after night, it may not just break the usual slow-start script; it could start lifting the entire lineup with it.

The Mets lineup could benefit as Francisco Lindor’s patience shows up

Mets fans are accustomed to slow starts from Francisco Lindor, and this season is no different. Through his first 23 at-bats, he has just three hits with a .304 slugging percentage. The production has not shown up yet in the traditional sense, and on the surface, it looks like the same early-season script playing out once again.

Despite the low average, Lindor owns a .394 on-base percentage thanks to nine walks over his first seven games. He has drawn a walk in five straight games, and over the last four seasons, this stretch ranks as his second-longest walk streak and second-highest total in a seven-game span.

The only time he topped it came between July 11 and July 20 during the 2024 season, when he walked 10 times across seven games with a six-game walk streak. That kind of patience forces pitchers to work and gives Lindor control of the at-bat, even when the hits are not there.

This is Lindor’s sixth season with the Mets, and his career high in walks with the team is 66. After just seven games, he is already trending toward surpassing that mark. For a leadoff hitter in front of bats like Juan Soto and Bo Bichette, getting on base is the job, and Lindor is doing exactly that, even while the results with runners in scoring position have not followed yet.

Right now, the hits with runners in scoring position are not there. That will change. What matters is that Lindor is not letting the top of the lineup go quiet while everyone waits for it to. He is getting on, keeping innings alive, and making sure this offense has something to cash in on when it finally breaks through.