1 Mets player who was good in 2022 and will be even better in 2023

Francisco Lindor finished his 2022 season with the New York Mets slashing .270/.339/.449 with 26 home runs and 107 RBI. He played in all but one game for the team which is pretty amazing considering a hotel room door tried to take away his finger in Los Angeles.

The performance was a huge step up from what he did the previous year. Lindor raised his batting average 40 points, lifted his OBP another 16 points, and slugged much better, too.

In every way possible, Lindor improved on his disappointing 2021 season. The naysayers had much less to complain about. In 2023, they’ll have even less because while Lindor was good in 2022, he’ll be even better in 2023.

The places where Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor can still improve

Reaching 100 RBI again in 2023 might not be so possible and even if he does rip a few more home runs, he probably won’t knock too many more than 26.

Where Lindor can really make his mark is with doubles. For three straight seasons in Cleveland, Lindor was a 30+ home run guy with 40+ doubles. In each of those seasons, he had slugging percentages over the .500 mark. It’s in this area we can expect Lindor to improve.

With Pete Alonso in the lineup and hopefully a more respectable everyday DH next season, we don’t need Lindor to smash 38 home runs like he did in 2018. What we want from Lindor are the two base hits he accumulated regularly in his career.

It’s kind of amazing that in 286 games for the Mets he has only 41 total doubles. He had 44 in 2017 and 42 in 2018.

Doubles can be an overlooked aspect of a hitter’s game. Lindor’s numbers in this department have been noticeably down since coming to New York. Things like his hard-hit percentage and line drive percentage are down which certainly can lead to fewer two-base knocks.

Psychologically, Lindor felt like a much better player this past year. There were no distractions. The team played well and had a manager who could control the locker room. It made a huge difference in the performance of many players—including the $341 million shortstop in Flushing.

Lindor won’t blow past all of his previous career highs next year. What he will do is take the success from 2022 and become even better. Whatever was wrong with him in 2021 is fixed. Set your expectations high in 2023. He’s now playing less to live up to the contract and more to help his team win.