For the first time since 2015, Francisco Lindor won’t be suiting up for the All-Star Game.
After making it every year from 2016 to 2019 before there was no Midsummer Classic in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindor fell well short of All-Star caliber in his first season with the Mets, heading into the weekend with a slash line of .221/.320/.366, all three being the lowest marks of his career.
For the four-time All-Star, this year’s absence from Denver is something he hopes is never repeated through the rest of his 10-year deal with New York.
“I don’t know how to describe this one, but it’s a feeling you don’t want to have again,” Lindor said. “You want to be an All-Star every single year and you want to help the team win every single day and you want to make it to October. But an All-Star means you had a good first half.”
Lindor certainly didn’t satisfy that qualification, slumping badly since the beginning of the year after signing a $341 million extension just before Opening Day. Lindor has been booed by his home crowd consistently as he has failed to live up to his new contract, and while missing out on another All-Star selection hurts, he is trying to keep his focus on the more important goal of the team’s success, which is in good shape with the Mets currently atop the NL East.
“The team is in first place, I’m super happy [Jacob] deGrom is an All-Star, Taijuan Walker is an All-Star,” Lindor said. “I think there should have been more players in the All-Star Game, but we have health. As long as we have health we can continue to compete, and we can go out there and do our best.”
Lindor didn’t begin his rookie season in 2015 until the middle of June, leaving him out of potential All-Star discussion. But he finished that season with a .313 batting average and an .835 OPS. Certainly All-Star caliber. So, the 2021 season will be the first time Lindor was eligible to be named an All-Star but was left off the roster. He understands why, but is determined to never have to make that admission again.
“The All-Star Game is the greatest event of the summer, but I didn’t deserve to be an All-Star,” Lindor said. “I’m nowhere near being an All-Star. Shout out to the shortstops that made it. They’re balling, they’re doing great, and I hope they continue to help their team win and continue to put up a great show. At the end of the day, the better numbers they put, the more they help the team win and can hopefully help their families at the end of the year when they get good incentives. So shout out to them, that’s awesome.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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