2024 player outlook and expectations: Francisco Lindor

Francisco Lindor enters his fourth season with the New York Mets in 2024 with the expectation to retain the high level of play he has had over his nine-year career in the majors. Lindor turned 30 years old in November and is near the end of his prime.

Lindor was recently ranked the second best shortstop right now on MLB Network's "Top 10 Right Now" series in early January. Lindor hit .254 last year, with 31 home runs, 98 RBI's, 31 stolen bases, 108 runs scored, and an OPS+ of 120. Lindor notched his first career 30-30 season and became just the second Met in 32 years to register such a season, and also became the second Mets shortstop to win a Silver Slugger, joining Jose Reyes, who did it in 2006. With Lindor in his prime, a similar campaign to the 2023 season is the expecation this season.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor will have a well-rounded season in 2024, continuing to show off why he's a complete shortstop.

Lindor's 2023 season was a two-part play. The first 70 games were poor, with a .211 batting average, .234 BABIP, while his last 90 games were excellent, batting .288 with an .308 BABIP and an .887 OPS. The difference in play coincided with the birth of his second daughter the day before Father's Day.

Lindor was a more selective hitter and hit the ball harder in the 90-game stretch starting on Father's Day than he did as a Met, and that led to spikes in his offensive totals across the board. If Lindor can remain patient and not chase pitches low and in, he will have another strong campaign in 2024. With a couple of question marks in the Mets' lineup, he'll have to.

Defensively, he has been so smooth his entire career. However, he is coming off one of his worst seasons of his career playing the field. His outs above average, range, and run value at shortstop were at career lows for a non-shortened season, which were still excellent for a major league shortstop. This speaks volumes to the talent that he is on defense and the five-tool player he always was. The defense around him is better when he is out there.

2024 stat predictions: .260 AVG, 30 HR, 95 RBI, 20 SB, .815 OPS