This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo's Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- Francisco Lindor was conducting an on-field interview with SNY late Wednesday evening when the subject of the All-Star Game arose. Hours earlier, Lindor had been named the National League’s starting shortstop for the July 15 game in Atlanta, marking the first All-Star start of his career and his first time representing the Mets in a Midsummer Classic.
“I appreciate you guys,” Lindor said, speaking directly to the Citi Field fans. “Much love. I can’t wait to go represent all you guys, represent the Mets organization, represent my family. This is on you guys. You guys voted for me. You guys made me an All-Star.”
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For as well as Lindor has played this year, and as popular as he is with the fan base in Queens, there were no guarantees he would qualify for his first All-Star Game since attending four in a row as a reserve with Cleveland from 2016-19. Although Lindor received over 200,000 more votes than any other NL shortstop in Phase 1 of All-Star balloting, those totals reset for Phase 2 this week -- right as Lindor was staggering through his deepest slump of the season.
But voters still showed up for Lindor, with 56 percent backing him compared to 44 percent for runner-up Mookie Betts. Upon hearing the final tally, Lindor said he called his wife, Katia, then his sister and mother, then finally his father to let them all know.
“I was extremely happy,” Lindor said. “My heart was proud and full of joy.”
Lindor will become the third Mets shortstop to start an All-Star Game -- joining Buddy Harrelson (1971) and José Reyes (2007) -- as well as the organization’s first fan-elected starter at any position since outfielder Yoenis Céspedes (2016). It’s also likely that Lindor will have company in Atlanta, with Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz all strong candidates to make the team as reserves.
The fact that Lindor had never previously made an All-Star Game as a Met was a matter of curiosity, given his stature as one of the league’s best players. But early slumps have affected Lindor most seasons since joining the organization in 2021, limiting his ability to crack a consistently strong pool of NL shortstops.
This year, Lindor didn’t slump much until June, allowing him to jump out to an early lead in balloting. Nonetheless, he still ranks second among NL shortstops in both major measurements of WAR, as well as second in homers, third in RBIs and tied for fifth in stolen bases.
The finals matchup was a particularly favorable one for Lindor, who has outproduced Betts in just about every meaningful metric. Once he reached the heads-up portion of balloting, Lindor no longer had to worry about Elly De La Cruz, Trea Turner or other shortstops who may have given him a stiffer balloting challenge.
“Obviously, you have to give credit to him and everybody that supported him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Between now and July 15, Lindor would love to catch fire, making those first-half numbers look even better. Perhaps it came as little surprise that in his first game after the finalists were revealed, Lindor broke free from a 2-for-30 skid with a homer. He went on to collect a hit in each of his final three at-bats that night.
“It’s been good, but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement,” Lindor said of his season to date. “I have my ups and downs. My downs have been a little longer [lately]. I’ve just got to be consistent, and I’ve got to help this team win.”