Fansided

MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players in the game today

By Joshua Sadlock

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
13 of 25
Next
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 02: Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) gets high fives in the dugout after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians on May 2, 2018, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. Cleveland defeated Texas 12-4. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 02: Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) gets high fives in the dugout after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians on May 2, 2018, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. Cleveland defeated Texas 12-4. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

13. Francisco Lindor

With a smile permanently affixed to his face and an unmistakable joy, Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor is one of the brightest young superstars in the league. As a 21-year-old rookie, he burst onto the scene and nearly stole the AL Rookie of the Year away from Carlos Correa, who entered the league with much more hype. A year later, Lindor nearly led his team to a World Series title.

That Lindor was going to wow with the glove at the MLB level was a foregone conclusion. His bat, however, was not as much as a sure thing when he was called up. Lindor quickly showed he would be a force as a hitter, turning in a .313/.353/.482 line as a rookie with 12 home runs and 51 RBI in 99 games as a rookie. He hit over .300 again in his first full MLB season in 2016 and then exploded for 33 home runs in 2017.

Lindor sacrificed some average for power last year, but his OPS went up nearly 50 points, so the Indians and their fans should be more than happy to have a 30-homer threat at shortstop. The 24-year-old has a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and two All-Star nods in his first three full years in the big leagues. Lindor has also finished in the top ten of the AL MVP vote the past two years.

Cleveland has been able to lock up young stars like Jose Ramirez, Corey Kluber, Jason Kipnis, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar on team-friendly extensions, but they likely won’t have that chance with their biggest star. Lindor can sit back, watch Manny Machado sign for over $300 million and wait for his turn.

Home/MLB