SEATTLE — Francisco Lindor charged behind the mound, barehanded the chopper and in one motion fired off balance to first base.
The timing had to be perfect, and Pete Alonso’s footwork while falling from the bag helped, allowing the Mets shortstop to celebrate what he considered his favorite defensive gem of the season.
That play occurred last Saturday in Anaheim, Calif., with Matt Thaiss the batter for the Angels, and Lindor danced upon the play’s completion.
It was just one highlight in what has been a season of artistry at the position by Lindor.
By at least one metric this season, Lindor has been elite.
Statcast combines several defensive metrics into one comprehensive number termed fielding run value.
Lindor began Friday ranked No. 10 among all players this season with a fielding run value of 10, which placed him in MLB’s 97th percentile.
The only shortstops that rated higher than Lindor were the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and the Cubs’ Dansby Swanson, with fielding run values of 12 and 11, respectively.
“I never really looked at numbers like that, so I don’t know how I compare, but I am having a lot of fun,” Lindor said before the Mets opened a three-game series with the Mariners on Friday.
It certainly helps that the 30-year-old Lindor is pain-free after playing through a bone spur in his right elbow last season.
Lindor underwent surgery last October to remove the fragment.
“This year, my arm is way better than [Mark] Vientos’ arm,” Lindor said, in a playful rib of the Mets third baseman. “It feels better, and that said, if I get to a ball, I have a better chance of making a play because my arm feels better.”
Lindor’s arm still rates below average, according to Statcast.
But he more than compensates with his range.
His 13 outs-above-average rank eighth in MLB, placing him in the 99th percentile.
Lindor won two Gold Gloves with Cleveland but hasn’t received the award since arriving to the Mets before the 2021 season.
Last season, he was a finalist in the National League — Swanson won it.
Barring a late defensive slump this year, he likely will be in the conversation again.
“He’s smarter on how he works now,” said Mets infield coach Mike Sarbaugh, who spent the previous decade in the same role with Cleveland. “He’s the same guy, but everything he’s gone through the last eight or nine years has made him smarter … and just learning his body. He wants to be in the lineup every day, and for him to get the work in that he does daily, it’s very impressive.”
Sarbaugh appreciates that a player of Lindor’s caliber is still open to new ideas.
“There are things that we’ll talk about that maybe I am seeing from the game, and then the next day he wants to come out and work on it,” Sarbaugh said. “You don’t always see that with a player that has played as long as he has. We have emphasized playing the slower-hit balls more aggressively, and he’s coming out the next day, he wants to work on it.”
Jose Iglesias spent four seasons competing against Lindor in the AL Central with the Tigers and said he is receiving an education as Lindor’s teammate.
“Playing with Lindor is just keep pushing the envelope,” Iglesias said. “He makes you play better, he plays hard, and he plays every day. It’s contagious, and it makes it a lot easier for me with a guy like that. Every inning and every pitch matters, so it’s a privilege.”
Lindor’s defensive metrics jibe with what Iglesias sees on a daily basis.
“That’s what makes Paco special — he’s hungry to get better, and he stays at the high level and performs at the high level,” Iglesias said. “That is what I am more impressed about: how hungry he is, how disciplined, how dedicated he is. It’s contagious, so I am in that boat with him.”
