Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor – Kudos to the Kid with the Perpetual Smile

Francisco Lindor will be 23 years old in a couple of weeks. He looks like he’s seven but plays with the zeal and experience of someone with 10 years in the big leagues behind him. He’s also been the Cleveland Indians’ leading hitter and catalyst in this year’s World Series. And he’s just getting started.

Omar Vizquel was a pretty good shortstop for the Cleveland Indians for 11 years. Known primarily for his defensive skills, he averaged fewer than six home runs a season. Only once did he drive in more than 70 runs in a season.

Imagine that you knew then that one day the Indians would have a shortstop with at least the same defense ability, but who would also hit 15 home runs, drive in 78, while also having a batting average of .301. And that this would be accomplished in only his second big league season.

If you could imagine that, a picture of “Frankie” Lindor might come to mind and that same picture would be of him with a smile as wide as his face. Francisco Lindor is always smiling these days. And maybe it’s because he has a lot to be smiling and grateful for.

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And perhaps we can understand that smile more when we recall a time early this summer when Bryce Harper took to the back pages saying that baseball “is a tired sport” while inferring that there’s no fun in the game anymore. And maybe because he is Bryce Harper and he seems to have a way of rubbing people the wrong way, he was largely criticized for his remarks. But he had a solid point.

Because Francisco Lindor is only one of the few in the game today who is openly seen to be having fun. In fact, he’s having the time of his life.

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Francisco Lindor was a first round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians and the eighth selection overall in 2011. Although highly touted, he spent five years weaving his way through the Indians farm system. But he never looked back and always moved steadily ahead.

Lindor is the kind of person and player who is always looking straight ahead. It was two years ago that he tweeted:

But if you really want to know what makes Francisco Lindor tick, listen to what his manager Terry Francona, who’s known as a players manager but doesn’t pull any punches, had to say about him in a story from March by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal:

When Francona informed Lindor of a mistake, the rookie would maintain eye contact. And even when Lindor offered initial disagreement, he would return 10 minutes later and tell Francona, “OK, I’ve got you.”“A young kid joining a team in the middle of the year, especially one that is kind of struggling, that’s not the easiest thing in the world to do,” Francona says. “And he was smart enough to feel his way through a little bit.“You could see the guys were buying into him. And then he was able to show his personality, and nobody was trying to suppress it. They knew he cared about winning. They trusted him.”

They trusted a 23 year old kid. Imagine that. The kid with the smile. The kid who maybe believes that baseball is a tired sport and that players should show their emotions more with a smile here and there that says, “You bet I consider myself lucky to be where I am, doing what I love, playing a kids game.” Although Francisco Lindor probably doesn’t have to say it. We can tell by the genuine smile on his face.

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Oh, and did I mention that Francisco Lindor is leading all hitters in the World Series (7-for-15) and is batting .370 overall for the postseason? For a closing argument though, how about a little taste of what this young man can do with a bat and his glove: