New York Mets Fans Are Seriously Already Booing Francisco Lindor
By Kyle Koster
The New York Mets signed Francisco Lindor to a 10-year, $341 million contract with the intention of him serving as a cornerstone for championship-caliber teams in the near- and long-term future. When queried as to what type of player he'll be at age 38, the effervescent shortstop radiated with confidence, projecting himself as a "bad motherf--ker." Through 15 of the projected 1,620 regular-season games he'll potentially suit up in orange and blue, Lindor has been quite average, if not worse.
He entered Saturday's action with a .204/.333/.278 slash and all of two extra-base hits in 67 plate appearances. His OPS+ is floundering 25 integers behind his career-low of 101 — set last year amid unusual, protracted circumstances. And the notoriously tough New York fanbase is already beginning to grow disenchanted.
There were noticeable boos after Lindor fanned in his second plate appearance this afternoon. Already. On April 24th. On what are essentially the first steps of a long journey. Not entirely surprising, but a bit surprising.
Lindor has obviously not performed up to expectations. A cynic could suggest the sky is falling as his batting average since mid-2019 is south of .250. A sane person could also take a beat and chill out.
Perhaps that's impossible. Asking New York sports fans to have a longer attention span than a butterfly is probably a losing proposition. But imagine living life like that. Day-trading and bending to the most recent wind so far that there's a permanent backache. Trapped in a permanent Bronx cheer even out in Flushing.
It just seems ridiculous. A giant, self-inflicted dose of mental baggage and anguish.
Let's game this out. The booing fans are proved justified if Lindor stinks and is a giant flop. If that's the case, it's one of the worst contracts ever given out. It seems like it'll take a bit more than 15 games to prove this is a disaster. If that happens, well, congratulations on being first to the party like some sort of internet commentator seated in the 300 level.
Fan is short for fanatic and turning off one's critical-thinking centers are almost part of the process of attending a game. And yet, imagine being a Mets fan who booed Lindor today reflecting on that over the next 10 years if he performs as he has his entire career up to this point.
Have some damn pride in yourself and resist the worst urges for once in your life and angrily buy another beer like more well-adjusted human being.