Francisco Lindor giving Cleveland Indians fans cause to cheer
By Tim Haberin
Carlos Correa isn’t the only rookie shortstop making his presence felt in the American League. Cleveland Indians neophyte Francisco Lindor is enjoying a fast start to his major league career as well, providing a spark in an otherwise erratic Tribe campaign.
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Lindor made his big league entrance on June 14 at just 21 years of age, but he is quickly proving that he belongs in the show. After a relatively slow start that saw him bat .211 through his first 15 games, Lindor began to find his comfort zone as the calendar turned to July. He hit .295 on the month while going yard four times and driving in 14 runs.
August is shaping up to be even better, and more and more around the league are starting to take notice. Since the first of the month Lindor is batting .375 and has added five more RBI to his ledger. He is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak, six of which have been multi-hit efforts.
Overall, Lindor is slashing .290/.322/.400 with five homers and 24 RBI in his very young career of 52 games. Most importantly for his club, the switch-hitting rookie’s recent hot stretch has spearheaded some improved play (and results) from the Tribe of late. Cleveland has won six of its last nine contests, including series wins against the Twins and Yankees. Lindor’s active production out of the two-spot in the lineup has played a significant role in turning the tide over the past week and a half.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign in the fledgling days of Lindor’s MLB career has been his ability to make adjustments and take instruction. As described by the Akron Beacon Journal, he failed to run hard out of the box during a game last month after hitting a frustrating pop-up with a runner in scoring position. That is certainly not uncommon behavior from a young player (and from more than a few veterans as well). Manager Terry Francona took him aside the next day anyway to discuss the situation, and Lindor responded by hustling at every opportunity that afternoon.
The youngster has also appeared to internalize some lessons learned from his early struggles. Through his first 21 games, at which point his batting average was sitting at a lowly .205, Lindor was striking out at rate of 21.1% (19 K in 90 PA). Since then he has fanned at just a 13.8% clip (20 K in 145 PA), and his average has climbed .085 points as a result. A relatively small sample size perhaps, but it’s encouraging to see a player of his age show improved plate discipline so quickly at this level.
Lindor’s rise has not exactly been unheralded, however. He has been firmly on Cleveland’s radar since they drafted him eighth overall out of high school in 2011. The shortstop didn’t take long to start making good on his prodigious talent. He became Baseball America’s #1 ranked Indians prospect in 2012 and has held that distinction for four consecutive years. It seemed only a matter of time before Lindor would get his chance to join the big club.
Since the All-Star break, Lindor is third among all MLB shortstops (min. 100 PA) with an .867 OPS. And despite committing seven errors thus far, Cleveland expects him to emerge as a top defensive shortstop as well. There are likely to be more growing pains ahead, but the early returns have been quite promising. The Indians and their fans will hope that he and star second baseman Jason Kipnis can form an exciting middle infield partnership for seasons to come.