First Pitch: Francisco Lindor and the endless pressure of playing in New York City

Some players can handle the pressure of New York, while others can’t. Francisco Lindor’s early struggles have Mets fans worried he’ll fit into the latter category.

Lindor was mired in an 0-for-21 skid entering Wednesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. His batting average has fallen to a disgraceful .163, making the Mendoza line look more like a lofty goal than a basic expectation for all hitters to meet. Lindor’s defense has proven exceptional, but the Mets didn’t acquire his services just to be a defensive stalwart — they expected one of the best all-around shortstops in the game, and the 27-year-old hasn’t delivered.

To make matters worse, Lindor signed a 10-year, $341 million contract before the season. He is the face of the franchise, and the first of what the Mets hope is many top-tier talents to commit to Queens long-term in exchange for a large check.

After an April 28 loss, Lindor spoke his slump into fruition. The already-struggling shortstop responded to questions about his then-manageable issues at the plate and boos from Mets faithful with the following: “I don’t feel like I’m in a slump. In a slump, for me, is when I’m 0-for-35, 0-for-30.”

Well, here we are. Almost.

Whether or not Lindor gets to 0-for-30 is irrelevant. What is very real is this very odd, sometimes mythical stigma that not every star player is make for New York City. Adjusting to any new location is tough, especially one where Lindor’s every move is under a microscope. There were bound to be struggles, especially in his return to normalcy after a shortened 60-game season.

FanGraphs’ Jay Jaffe identifies the odd nature of Lindor’s slump, in that he’s not chasing pitches out of the zone or swinging at pitches he usually fails to hit. Rather, his swing and chase rate are currently career lows. Mets manager Luis Rojas insisted that Lindor is pulling the ball too often, but his pull rate is actually far below his 2019 and 2020 seasons.

In the end, it comes down to Lindor failing to hit the ball square, as his barrel rate is minuscule, with just two barrels on the entire season. “Make better contact” is a simplistic solution to Lindor’s slump, but his walk rate is up while his strikeout rate is down, so it’s clear his physical swing mechanics are the real issue here, which brings us to our next problem.

Mets: Francisco Lindor’s problems at the plate go beyond familiarity with New York

The Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis on Monday after the team’s 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The team claimed it had nothing to do with individual players or recent results, but played out “behind the scenes,” whatever that means.

So now Lindor is forced to learn under a new teacher, and fix his swing mechanics on the fly. As talented as he is, there’s a chance it could still take some time to right his wrongs given the new personalities and techniques of recently-promoted hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum. Buckle up.

Mets fans are rightfully impatient. They’re finally spending like their neighbors in the Bronx and frankly expect similar results. As recently as last week, Lindor was greeted with boos at Citi Field. While that’s their right, how should Mets fans feel about Lindor in the middle of one of the worst slumps of his career?

To get a better idea, we talked to Rising Apple site expert Tim Boyle about Lindor and more Mets madness.

1: Francisco Lindor’s slump is now at 0-for-21. Should Mets fans have buyer’s remorse at this stage, or is it far too early to even be considering such things?

Tim Boyle: “It’s way too early to have buyer’s remorse. This trade involving a couple of pieces and the ones the Mets gave up haven’t done much either. Nearly every Mets fan out there wanted a long deal with Lindor and to give up this quickly is liking leaving a restaurant when you don’t like the color of the waiter’s hair.”

2. Last week you wrote about Mets fans and their right to boo Francisco Lindor. What is it about New York that so often exaggerates the struggles of newfound stars?

TB: “New Yorkers are impatient about everything. A lifetime of walking behind snail-like tourists in Manhattan will do this to a person. I’m not sure it’s just a New York thing either. Any passionate fanbase should be quick to judge. It’s a part of our life and we don’t want to waste a moment.”

3. It’s funny, all this talk about Lindor’s struggles and the Mets’ issues, and they’re just a half-game out of first place (as of today). Is the NL East the most stacked division in baseball, or is this a case of early-season woes across the board?

TB: “The NL East is stacked but all teams have their issues. The division won’t be one of the best of all-time because of how faulty each squad can be. Maybe instead of looking at it as stacked we should view them as equally talented some days and incompetent on others.”

4. Jacob deGrom is putting up Cy Young — and perhaps MVP — numbers so far this season. Yet, the Mets provide him very little run support. Fangraphs had an excellent column on the matter recently. It’s more than just circumstance. How frustrating is that from a fan perspective, and has it impacted deGrom’s Hall-of-Fame chances?

TB: “It is beyond frustrating. deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball and he gets treated like a gym membership in February — neglected and completely forgotten. Fortunately, I think this can only help his Hall of Fame chances. It has brought attention to him and how great he is even if the wins are rare. He still needs a few excellent years to get there but I think future voters will understand how little wins mean.”

Lindor’s issues are, like most slumps, of the mental AND physical variety. Signing a mega-deal and not delivering in a new location has to weigh on him, but he’s far too talented for his swing to never right itself. If given time — and he has plenty of that on a 10-year extension –he’ll become the player the Mets hoped they were acquiring before the season began.

First Pitch is a weekly FanSided.com MLB feature in coordination with the FanSided network.