Mike Piazza is in Mets camp as a special instructor this spring, but one of the players he’s been observing most isn’t a catcher, but an infielder: Francisco Lindor.
Piazza was, once upon a time, the face of the Mets, but he was also once a heralded newcomer and had his struggles, so he can relate to what Lindor went through in 2021. But the key for Lindor to succeed, Piazza says, isn’t about forgetting last year, it’s about remembering who he is for the next 10.
“I think it’s obvious he takes care of himself, and the key to him for me is over the life of his career. I expect him to be productive here for years, but he just needs to catch the balls he’s supposed to and drive in the runs he’s supposed to,” Piazza said Tuesday. “You don’t have to be Superman, you just have to do what you’re supposed to do.”
Piazza remembers that latter part, as the Mets went to an NLCS and a World Series his first two full years in Queens, but then never again made the playoffs during his tenure. So, he knows that one man can only do so much, even if that man finishes near the top of the MVP voting (as he did in 2000).
“For a team to win, everyone has to have a good year together; not one person is going to carry a team,” he said. “The greatest teams will always have everyone doing their job, so the key for him is to not feel like he has to do everything every day; do what you’re supposed to do and let everyone else do their jobs as well.”
Piazza has gotten to work with new manager Buck Showalter, and from what he sees so far, he thinks Lindor and the rest of the Mets have the right type of leader in place – as well as the right type of owner willing to bring the Mets back to prominence.
“It’s really encouraging to see that the organization is committed to putting a good team on the field, but that’s just one step,” Piazza said. “This year, obviously, with the lockout, not having a tremendous amount of time to come together, there’s more of a sense of urgency to get together and everyone get on the same page and become a team, because you can make every move in the world but if you don’t play as a team then you’re not going to be successful.”
And you won’t be successful if you dwell too much on the negative that is ever-present in New York, either.
“In a market like New York and the expectations that are here – I told these guys, ‘Look, we came in with high expectations, and we came close in 2000, but we had high expectations and we delivered,’” Piazza said. “We got to the final step. We didn’t take it all the way home, but generally you have to want those expectations and you have to kind of thrive off the energy and the excitement, and if you don’t expect to win then you probably should be doing something else.”
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