Francisco Lindor is one of a kind.
He’s a charismatic, bona fide superstar with one hell of a smile, but the Cleveland Indians shortstop hasn’t separated himself from the MLB pack just by flashing his pearly whites and making people laugh. He’s exceptionally good at baseball, too.
Lindor offers the perfect mix of offense and defense, and as a result, he’s quickly become one of the best shortstops of his generation.
Since debuting in 2015, the 24-year-old Puerto Rican is the only player at his position in MLB who sits top three in both Offensive and Defensive Runs Above Average, according to FanGraphs.
| RANK | PLAYER | OFF |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Correa | 84.1 |
| 2 | Manny Machado | 78.9 |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor | 71.4 |
| RANK | PLAYER | DEF |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrelton Simmons | 79.3 |
| 2 | Brandon Crawford | 60.0 |
| 3 | Francisco Lindor | 56.7 |
He’s already earned a Gold Glove (2016) and Silver Slugger (2017). His current campaign with Cleveland, potentially his best yet, may put him in contention for his first MVP award.
Again, it’s thanks to his offensive and defensive prowess.
2018 Offense
| PA | R | 2B | HR | RBI | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 463 | 87 | 34 | 25 | 63 | .927 |
2018 Defense
| INN | FP | DRS | UZR | UZR/150 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 871 | .968 | +10 | 6.4 | 9.0 |
The diminutive Lindor has managed to produce at a herculean level alongside Goliaths like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who send baseballs into orbit.
The wiry first-round pick stands 5-foot-11 and is listed at a generous 190 pounds, yet his 85 home runs since 2015 rank second among shortstops behind only Manny Machado (who spent most of that time playing third base), while Lindor’s isolated power ranks fourth.
| HR | RBI | SLG | ISO | HARD% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 281 | .491 | .198 | 32.5% |
Combine Lindor’s contributions all over the diamond and no shortstop in baseball has been more valuable than the three-time All-Star since 2015. It’s not like he’s competing with scrubs, either.
| RANK | PLAYER | fWAR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francisco Lindor | 21.0 |
| 2 | Manny Machado | 19.2 |
| 3 | Carlos Correa | 16.0 |
| 4 | Xander Bogaerts | 15.9 |
| 5 | Corey Seager | 14.9 |
If these numbers illustrate anything, it’s that Lindor is a rare breed – a special talent who doesn’t conform to the general rule that you can only be elite at one thing. There is no player quite like him in the game today.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)