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Cleveland Indians’ Francisco Lindor ready to lead in sophomore season

By Tim Haberin

Oct 4, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) swings in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Cleveland won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) swings in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Cleveland won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rookie of the Year runner-up Francisco Lindor has his sights set on bigger goals in his second season with the Cleveland Indians.

In most other years, the Cleveland Indians’ Francisco Lindor would have cruised his way to the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Unfortunately, he made his debut around the same time as another highly-touted young shortstop, Carlos Correa. The Houston Astros phenom powered his way to the AL rookie crown and inspired his club to its first postseason berth in a decade.

With Correa’s fame only continuing to grow, along with the Spring Training buzz surrounding Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager, Lindor may seem a bit lost in the shuffle. Playing in a relatively small market probably doesn’t help. But when all is said and done after the 2016 season, don’t be surprised if Lindor turns in the best performance of the bunch.

Lindor appeared in 99 games last season (same as Correa), slashing an impressive .313/.353/.482 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs. Correa countered with a .279/.345/.512 line. The power department was where he really set himself apart, crushing 22 homers to lead all shortstops and driving in 68 runs.

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However, Lindor finished the campaign with a higher WAR (4.6 to Correa’s 4.1) on the strength of his defense. He posted an 18.9 UZR/150 and collected 10 DRS (defensive runs saved above average) to Correa’s -13.7 UZR/150 and zero DRS.

Cleveland is naturally very excited to see what Lindor does for an encore in 2016. Manager Terry Francona told Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com, “There’s nothing he can’t do. He’s a switch hitter who has speed and can hit the ball out of the ballpark, plays very good defense and he’s a smart kid. It’s a pretty good package.”

That’s a fair, concise assessment of Lindor’s all-around skillset. His speed and athleticism serve him in all facets of the game, whether it’s at the plate, in the field or on the base paths. He led the AL with 13 sacrifice hits last year, helping boost his .313 batting average and .353 on-base percentage.

Nevertheless, the sophomore slump is difficult for even the most talented young players to avoid. What if his .348 BABIP from a year ago regresses in the upcoming season? Can he reproduce the .482 slugging percentage that was .072 points higher than any he put up in the minor leagues?

Lindor was one of the league’s hottest hitters after the All-Star break, slashing .345/.386/.544 in the second half. That’s a pace that will be hard to maintain for any great length of time in a complete big league season. How exactly will Lindor respond to his first time through the 162-game marathon?

The pressure isn’t only on Lindor, of course. Most of these questions will need to be answered by Correa as well. To his credit, the 22-year-old Lindor appears to be making all the right impressions in camp. According to Meisel, Cleveland has “granted Lindor more leadership on the infield, typical for someone who plays his position. They’ll call on him to take charge, rather than sit idly by while the veterans on the club captain the ship.” Playing alongside someone like All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis, that’s a significant honor and vote of confidence.

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The Indians were unexpectedly competitive in 2015, finishing at 81-80 and 4.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot. They already boast a formidable trio in their starting rotation with Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco. A full season of Francisco Lindor’s talents could be just what their lineup needs to make some more noise in the AL Central and launch another run at the postseason.

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