Francisco Lindor Should Be Your 2024 NL MVP
Or, "Welcome to the bandwagon. I was here first."
When I first started The Sandwich, I was worried that my mission of documenting the lighter side of sports would end up being Mets-heavy. Why? Well, besides the fact that I’m a fan, the Mets are experts at doing something on the field or off that’s worthy of being laughed at. But let me tell you something that’s dead serious: Francisco Lindor is FINALLY getting the respect he deserves and should be your choice for National League MVP this year.
Francisco Lindor has always been “MY” captain, ever since arriving to the Mets in 2021. When people were booing him and saying it was a “waste” to sign the man, I was scooping up shirseys. When the (pictured above) City Connect jerseys dropped and custom lettering wasn’t available, there was no doubt that I was going to bring #12 home. I’ve been a fan of the guy even when he was slumping HARD. Why? He was a guy who played EVERY DAY, talked to the media after games WIN OR LOSE, still offered ELITE LEVEL defense, and half of New York STILL wanted him GONE. If that’s not the kind of attitude that I want to capture, I don’t know what is.
And he loves his family, the big softie.
It’s a bit validating seeing people come around on the guy over the past season. There’s been outrage that he wasn’t selected to be an All-Star despite the fact Mets fans don’t vote, statistically speaking (But we’re sure good at complaining!). There’s been calls to make Lindor captain of the team. I agree, but for years that proposition was out of the question. Either people wanted Nimmo or Alonso to be the guy, or old-school fans wanted the mantle retired after David Wright. I love David Wright. I was an auctioneer at his kid’s catholic school’s charity night. David Wright is “The Captain” but Lindor is…the captain NOW. Anyway, check this out:
The dude hits bombs!
Any yeah, even though I think we deserved it when he and Javy Baez gave Mets fans a “thumbs down” a couple of years back, Lindor proved he was the bigger man by apologizing anyway.
Okay okay, let’s get down to the point of this article.
So the MVP is the “most valuable” player on the team. And truthfully the only other person who’s even in this conversation is Shohei Ohtani. Yeah, THAT Shohei Ohtani. A typical two-way player (he both hits and pitches), this season he basically became an everyday Designated Hitter due to a injury to his pitching arm. And while, as of this writing) he’s hitting north of 44 home runs and 46 steals, Ohtani doesn’t have to play defense. Besides, he’s got a bunch of MVPs already. Lindor on the other hand plays SHORTSTOP. That’s a position that requires the most mental and physical dexterity on the field. You could argue catchers are close with their squatting and calling a game with a pitcher, but SS is considered number one by most. Take a look at these stats:
You don’t even have to know baseball to see that homie looks like he’s maxing out every stat on the board.
But my point is, this is an MVP race. The. Most. Valuable. The Dodgers without Shohei Ohtani still would be at the top of the division. The Mets aren’t even holding a winning record without Lindor. And these are just physical contributions. I’m not even talking about supporting teammates like the struggling Brazoban or “Happy Jeff” McNeil this season. I’m not even talking about that team meeting after Pablo Lopez threw his glove into the stands. I’m not even talking about his keen fashion sense:
The man is ready. The man represents both club and city the best way possible. Give him all the accolades. MVP, Captain,2025 All-Star, fashion label…everything. In return, I want a coupon to buy one of his bats. I tried the other day and sheesh, them thangs expensive.
Anyway, props to anyone who has seen the light and is willing to join the bandwagon. Welcome, I’ve been here for years.