It’s official. After agreeing to contract terms just ahead of Opening Day, the New York Mets and star shortstop Francisco Lindor put pen to paper this week to complete the third richest deal in the history of Major League Baseball. The 10-year deal is worth $341 million, including $50 million deferred, which will be paid out $5 million a year starting in 2032.
The news comes on the heels of the Mets’ home opener, a 3-2 win over the Marlins featuring a walk-off hit-by-pitch by Michael Conforto.
Lindor’s contract is not baseball’s biggest deal, but the four-time All-Star will set a pair of MLB records with the pact. He’ll collect $43.3 million from the Amazins in 2021, including his $22.3 million base salary and a $21 million signing bonus paid to be paid after the deal is approved by the league office. It represents the largest lump sum signing bonus payout in the history of the sport, as is the $43.3 million one-year tally.
The salary and bonus total for Lindor tops Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, who is set to earn $38 million in 2021, the previous one-year high. Lindor’s haul is higher than Steph Curry’s record $43 million salary in the NBA this season. The only athletes to ever top it in North American team sports in a calendar year are a handful of NFL quarterbacks.
Signing bonuses are a regular feature in the NFL’s blockbuster deals. They give players upfront cash in a sport where base salaries are rarely guaranteed, and teams use the bonuses to spread out salary cap implications over the life of the contract. QBs have set the standard—Dak Prescott locked up his $66 million bonus last month, a tick ahead of the $65 million Russell Wilson received in 2019, which was paid in two parts.
Large signing bonuses were rare in MLB deals until they popped up in many of the mega-contracts in recent years. The biggest was the $65 million bonus for Mookie Betts for his Los Angeles Dodgers contract, which topped the $50 million bonus Max Scherzer had in his Washington Nationals deal. Both of these payouts were officially tagged as “signing” bonuses, but Betts’ money is paid over 15 years and Scherzer’s over four years. Clayton Kershaw got a $23 million bonus from the Dodgers, but it gets paid over three years.
Lindor’s signing bonus is the biggest paid out in a single year, a tick ahead of the $20 million that Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and Manny Machado each secured in the massive deals they signed within a month of each other, just ahead of the 2019 season. All three of their deals had a much lower first-year base salary when the signing bonus was paid.
The signing bonus has multiple benefits for Lindor. There is the time value of money, and Lindor gets a big chunk of his money now. MLB and its players are also facing a labor showdown as the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. Any missed games from a work stoppage will cut player salaries. It does not impact signing bonuses.
The biggest impact is on taxes. Signing bonuses are taxed in the state you reside, instead of the “jock” tax on base salaries that is a function of where games are played. Lindor’s home is in Florida, which has no state income tax. New York state just raised the tax rate on its highest-paid residents this week. It means a 14.8% rate for those earning more than $25 million in New York City, including the city’s 3.88% tax.
The Mets’ new billionaire owner Steve Cohen made a splash when the club traded for Lindor in January. Cohen can afford the $21 million payment. The hedge fund titan’s $16 billion net worth is greater than the next three richest MLB owners combined, according to Forbes.
Lindor and his agent, David Meter, held all the cards in this negotiation. Lindor is a wildly talented player at the plate and in the field. He’s also one of the most charismatic and marketable players in the game with ever-changing hair color. His endorsement partners include New Balance, Oakley, Gatorade and Rawlings. Lindor is one of just three MLB players with a signature shoe, joining Trout and Harper. The Mets have played second fiddle to the Yankees in New York forever and need splashy players to make a dent in that mindset. Lindor set Opening Day as a deadline to complete a contract and was willing to test free agency in the fall if a deal wasn’t complete. Deadlines spur action.
The New York Mets and shortstop Francisco Lindor have agreed to a 10-year, $341 million deal, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
Lindor's deal will be the third largest based on total value in major league history, trailing only the deals for the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout ($426.5 million) and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts ($365 million).
The Mets were widely expected to sign Lindor to a long-term extension after acquiring the four-time All-Star in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Indians this offseason. The negotiations became a major storyline during spring training, with new Mets owner Steve Cohen writing on Twitter last week, "What do think Lindor will accept? I'm going to crowdsource the answer."
Cohen wrote on Tuesday: "Lindor is a heckuva player and a great guy. I hope he decides to sign."
Lindor, 27, had stated that he would "go to free agency" if he didn't have a deal in place by Opening Day, saying he did not want to negotiate during the season. The Mets open Thursday against the Washington Nationals.
In January, the Mets avoided salary arbitration with Lindor by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $22.3 million. It was the fourth-biggest one-year contract for an arbitration-eligible player, trailing Mookie Betts($27 million with Boston last year), Nolan Arenado ($26 million with Colorado in 2019) and Josh Donaldson ($23 million with Toronto in 2018).
A two-time Gold Glove winner, Lindor is a career .285 hitter and has averaged 29 homers, 86 RBIs and 21 steals in his six major league seasons -- all with the Indians, who drafted him in 2011.
Long before Francisco Lindor became “Mr. Smile,” the Major League Baseball star with colorful hair and undeniable swag, people in his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, knew him as a talented, but shy young player called “Paquito.”
Lindor is now 27 and has a 10-year, $341 million deal with the New York Mets, the richest contract ever for a shortstop. But he proudly remembers his modest upbringing in Caguas. He grew up playing baseball at Villa Blanca field, a short drive from a local retailer named Al’s Sports Shop. Lindor would go there often with his parents to shop for gear that he and his older brother needed to learn the game.
“When we first walked in, to the right, there was all the gloves, the bats, the batting gloves,” Lindor recalled. “And then, if you go to the next aisle, there’s all the shoes. … It was cool going to that store. But most of the time, we had to wait till the next paycheck. It wasn’t like you could get it right there.”
Lindor’s mother and father, Maria and Miguel, purchased their sons’ baseball apparel in bimonthly payments using the store’s layaway system. To this day, the four-time All-Star cherishes that feeling when he finally got to lace up a new pair of cleats from Al’s.
“We’d go every 15 days and put down $10 or $20, and eventually in three months, I’d get it,” Lindor said. “That’s how my parents got most of my stuff. And I’m very proud of that. That’s part of my roots. That’s part of me.”
Al’s is still open in Caguas. Only now, kids are bringing their parents to the store to buy Lindor’s own line of footwear and merchandise. In March, New Balance released the Puerto Rican star’s signature shoe, dubbed the Lindor 1, in both a cleated model and lifestyle version for off the field. Lindor is currently the only Latino MLB player with a signature shoe.
“It means a lot to have my own shoe,” Lindor said in an interview with The Undefeated and ESPN Deportes for Hispanic Heritage Month. “It’s got a special place in my heart. I know my whole entire family is proud. Obviously, the cleat is for Puerto Rico.”
The shoe incorporates two lockdown straps: one for midfoot stability and another for ankle support, added after Lindor sustained a sprain during the design process. The ankle strap is removable to promote wearability for all positions on the field. And the shoe is adorned with graphics of the Puerto Rican hibiscus, so Lindor always pays homage to home on his feet.
“I’m truly proud of being Puerto Rican and I wanted to send a little message to all the kids out there, that if I did it — and I come from not a lot — it is possible,” he said.
The new shoe arrives four years after Lindor signed with New Balance to lead the brand’s expansion in baseball. He is one of just three Latino players in MLB history to receive his own shoe and the first in two decades. In 1999, a season after being named National League MVP, seven-time MLB All-Star Sammy Sosa, a native of the Dominican Republic, laced up his debut signature cleat and turf shoe, the Fila Sosa. In 2001, the Italian brand delivered a training model, the Sosa Strength.
Roberto Clemente, the former Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder and Hall of Famer, was the first Latino player in MLB history to receive a shoe bearing his name. Clemente’s lifestyle sneaker, made by a company called Super Pro, was released exclusively in his native Puerto Rico in 1972. Production of the shoe was halted following his death at 38 in a plane crash that year on New Year’s Eve while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
Coincidentally, Al’s Sports Shop opened in December 1972, the same month the island’s biggest baseball legend died. Edgardo Colón, the current manager at Al’s, began working at the store in 2003. He still remembers frequent visits from the kid they called Paquito.
“I would see him come into the store looking for gloves and cleats,” Colón recalled. “He’d come in like a kid in a toy store, his eyes wide open.”
Back then, Lindor would sometimes visit the store with his childhood friend and teammate Miguel Colón. “This was Disney for us,” said Miguel Colón, who started working as a sales associate at Al’s a few months after the release of the New Balance Lindor 1.
“We grew up together and never could think about this,” he said. Miguel Colón played with Lindor from the time they were ages 4 to 11. “We never talked about him getting his line from New Balance … getting his contract. I know people play for money, but he loves the game. That’s why he’s smiling all the time.”
The Lindor family moved to Florida when Lindor was 12. He attended Montverde Academy near Orlando (the high school’s baseball facility is now named after him) and played his way onto USA Today’s All-USA high school team. Lindor was committed to play at Florida State University until the Cleveland Indians selected the 17-year-old with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player draft. He decided to forgo his full scholarship at FSU to sign a $2.9 million contract with the Indians. A few months later, the Indios de Mayagüez club in Puerto Rico selected Lindor in the second round of the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente draft. But Lindor stayed on the mainland to work toward his dream of a career in the big leagues.
“He was a diamond that needed to be molded,” Colón said. “In the States, he had the tools to do it.”
He made his MLB debut for the Indians in June 2015. Over the next 16 months, he made his first career All-Star appearance, won a Gold Glove Award and started at shortstop in the World Series. New Balance had been paying attention since his days as a prep star.
“Francisco was always on our radar,” said Neil Brooks, the company’s head of baseball sports marketing. “His draft year, we were just beginning to develop our plan on building a younger roster. Having watched him in high school events, he always played with energy and a love for the game. You could tell he had a different vibe than some of the other high school players at that time. Off the field, we knew he was a very respectful and generous person. But, more than that, he had swag that we knew we wanted.”
But, at first, New Balance didn’t have enough swag for Lindor. He acknowledges he originally didn’t have much interest in joining the brand.
“During the World Series in 2016, a couple New Balance reps walked up to me and said, ‘Hey, we’ll be talking to you this offseason.’ Quite frankly, I was like, ‘I don’t know,’ ” recalled Lindor.
“New Balance, back then, it wasn’t fashionable,” said Lindor, who’s developed a reputation as one of the most stylish players in MLB. He dyes his hair every color fathomable and rocks iced-out chains. “I always saw New Balance as the brand that my dad and my grandparents wore, you know?”
Lindor spent his first five years in MLB wearing Under Armour cleats. But his deal with that brand expired at the start of the 2016 offseason after Cleveland lost to the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Then a free agent in footwear, Lindor received a shipment from New Balance, and his perception of the brand changed immediately. He particularly liked the soles, which are made from composite plastic, instead of traditional metal spikes.
“I put them on and remember texting my agent, saying, ‘Bro … this is completely different from what I’ve been wearing. … We definitely gotta have this conversation.’ ”
Brooks, who’s based in Florida, drove to the shortstop’s offseason home in 2016 and delivered an official pitch. In February 2017, Lindor officially joined New Balance on a multiyear endorsement deal that made the 23-year-old the face of the brand’s top-selling cleat division.
Surprisingly, a signature New Balance shoe wasn’t always the plan for Lindor — at least in his mind.
“In a meeting, right before or right after we signed him, I remember him saying he didn’t want to do a signature shoe,” said Matt Nuzzo, a baseball product manager for New Balance. “His agent was like, ‘Wait, wait, wait … what’d you say?’ Francisco felt he needed to earn that right. That, to me, was like, ‘This guy is different.’ ”
Lindor responded to his own challenge with an impressive 2017 MLB season. He hit .273 with 33 home runs, 44 doubles and 89 RBIs. He won the first Silver Slugger Award of his career while finishing fifth in American League MVP voting.
“It was clear we came to a point that we were going to do a signature shoe,” said Dan Webb, New Balance’s lead baseball designer, who crafted the Lindor 1. “We had a meeting and he sort of laid out all the stuff he was looking for. I was listening and taking notes, then I went and did some sketching on ideas.” After just a few hours, Webb reconnected with Lindor, who was still in the building at New Balance’s Boston headquarters.
“Francisco’s input was right there from the beginning. It was great to be able to work with him so closely to get the North Star set,” Webb said.
As New Balance embarked upon the design process of the Lindor 1, the brand’s design and product teams found inspiration in Lindor’s performance during an April 2018 series between the Indians and Minnesota Twins. The two teams played in San Juan, Puerto Rico, seven months after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island. The trip marked Lindor’s first time playing back home as a big leaguer. And in the top of the fifth inning of the first game, he blasted a two-run homer to right field. The crowd at Hiram Bithorn Stadium repeatedly chanted “LIN-DOR!” in celebration before he left the dugout to greet them. https://www.youtube.com/embed/LiA0BpZO_6U?start=150&feature=oembed
“I get goose bumps every time I watch the video of him playing in Puerto Rico,” Nuzzo said. “Francisco speaks very openly about how much Puerto Rico means to him. So for us to be able to add details of his heritage into our work is an honor.”
In 2019, Nuzzo visited Lindor in Arizona. Once he arrived, Lindor showed Nuzzo the hibiscus he planted outside the house he had rented for spring training.
“It was hilarious to me when he then pulled up his arm sleeve and showed a giant flower he had tattooed,” Nuzzo recalled. “I was like, ‘Damn, you’re not lying. … The flower is important to you. We’ll put it on your shoe.’ ”
It’s worth noting that nearly every element of the New Balance 1, from the removable ankle strap to logo design on midfoot and the flower detailing, came at the direction of Lindor.
“It’s not something we dreamed up and threw his name on it,” Webb said. “It’s obvious that it’s his shoe.”
Lindor still remembers the moment a few years ago when he found out he’d be receiving a signature. He shared the news with his parents, who once did the best they could to make sure he had new cleats as a kid.
“I said, ‘Mom, we did it. Dad, we did it. I got …,’ ” Lindor recalled, correcting himself, “ ‘we have our own shoe. It’s special to have a Lindor shoe.’ ”
WASHINGTON — Francisco Lindor is one of three Major League Baseball players in history who can describe what it feels like to ink a deal worth at least $341 million. Mookie Betts ($365 million) and Mike Trout ($426.5 million) are the only other MLB athletes who know the feeling.
Lindor said his Sunday night Italian dinner with Mets owner Steve Cohen in Port St. Lucie played a role in the negotiations. It gave the shortstop a good sense of where the billionaire was coming from and how high his ceiling for a contract would ultimately be (as it turned out, $385 million was too far). Lindor even thought Cohen’s tweet last week about “crowdsourcing the answer” for what the shortstop would accept was funny. Lindor told him as much at dinner while he ate chicken parm that was “really good,” even though Cohen didn’t care for his ravioli.
“I’ll be a bad mother f’er,” Lindor said. “That’s it. That’s all I got to tell you.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor was alone in a Washington, D.C., hotel room Wednesday night when he got the call from agent David Meter: the New York Mets had offered $341 million — $1 million more than Fernando Tatis Jr. got in February.
The biggest payday ever for a shortstop.
“I wanted to yell,” Lindor said Thursday. “I wanted to scream as loud as I could.”
Lindor kept his cool — mostly — and told Meter to get it done.
The sides agreed to a $341 million, 10-year pact on the eve of opening day, terms that could keep the four-time All-Star in Queens for the rest of his career. The deal kicks in for the 2022 season, meaning Lindor will be 38 when the contract expires.
“To the fans of New York, here we go baby!” Lindor said. “Here we go. We have 11 years together. I can’t wait.”
The Mets acquired Lindor this offseason from the Cleveland Indians, who were unable to negotiate a long-term contract with the face of their franchise. New York nabbed him knowing he could walk as a free agent after this season but hopeful Lindor would be willing to forego the open market.
The 27-year-old Lindor said he wouldn’t stretch talks with the Mets beyond opening day, but even as the clock neared midnight Wednesday, he remained confident the sides would find middle ground.
“I knew something was going to happen,” he said. “It was just a matter of getting to that sweet spot.”
The deal fulfills a promise by first-year owner Steve Cohen that these Mets mean business — and have the money to back it up. Lindor’s agreement trounces David Wright’s $138 million, eight-year contract for the largest in club history.
Cohen and Lindor had dinner over the weekend, and Lindor said they spoke frankly. Lindor confirmed reports that his side had asked for $385 million over 12 years but said it “wasn’t a line in the sand,” and the meeting with Cohen set the stage for the final leg of bargaining.
“He’s all about winning, and I think we won with this,” Lindor said. “Both sides are happy.”
A two-time Gold Glove winner over six seasons, Lindor is a career .285 hitter and has averaged 29 homers, 86 RBIs and 21 stolen bases per season. New York acquired him along with right-hander Carlos Carrasco for infielders Amed Rosario, Andrés Giménez and two minor leaguers in January and agreed to a $22.3 million salary for 2021. Lindor will play out that deal before the new agreement begins in 2022.
It will be the biggest payday ever for a shortstop, slipping by Tatis’ $340 million, 14-year deal with the San Diego Padres signed in February.
Lindor said shortstops Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros and Javier Báez of the Chicago Cubs were among the many people who reached out with congratulations.
“I love it, it’s a great contract,” Correa said. “He deserves every penny of it. ... He pushed the market for every shortstop coming after him.”
Correa and Báez are both eligible for free agency after this season, and Lindor acknowledged there’s a friendly competition among the Puerto Rican trio as they seek long-term deals.
“I love those guys,” Lindor said. “I hope they get more.”
Correa said he only briefly discussed a potential long-term deal with Houston, but was told the Astros “don’t believe in big contracts.” He expects to become a free agent next offseason.
“We were not really close at all,” Correa said. “There were not really any negotiations.”
Overall, only Mike Trout’s $426.5 million, 12-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels and Mookie Betts’ $365 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers are worth more than Lindor’s pact. Betts’ deal includes $115 million in deferred payments through 2044.
The Mets were set to start the season Thursday night in Washington, but that game was postponed due to at least three positive coronavirus tests among Nationals players. New York manager Luis Rojas is hopeful the teams will instead start the season Saturday.
Lindor hasn’t been to New York since the trade and won’t play his first home game at Citi Field until next Thursday, when the Mets host the Miami Marlins. He acknowledged the expectations that will come with the hefty contract and promised to make good on them, saying there were “341 million reasons for me to go out there and play the game the right way.”
“To wear blue and orange, I’m excited,” he added. “I’m pumped, I’m honored and I’m humbled.”
Baseball fans watching the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night saw a lot of two things: strikeouts and Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor.
The Puerto Rico-born player nicknamed Mr. Smile is quickly becoming one of the league’s most marketable personalities as brands like T-Mobile, Franklin, New Era, New Balance, SmileDirectClub and nonprofit Boys & Girls Clubs of America have made him the face of their campaigns.
Adweek sat down with Lindor to talk about his own branding strategy, Instagram and a little baseball.
Adweek: How would you describe your personal brand?
Francisco Lindor: I’m all about happiness. I love when people are happy. I love when people are smiling. I love kids. I love fashion. So that’s what I try to base my brand off. That’s what Francisco Lindor is. So if we can combine all those things together, I truly believe the world will be a better place.
On Instagram, you’ve revealed custom cleats and hats from New Balance and New Era. How much of a say do you have in the design of the items?
I have a lot of say in it. I pretty much go from scratch when I come up with the colors, the logos, the signs; whatever we put in the cleats, I try to come up with it. And then along the way, I [tell] them what’s not in right now. … It’s a great collaboration. I love working with New Era and New Balance because they allow me to have the freedom of making my own things, but at the same time, they also help me. They’re the ones that are in it on a daily basis. They know what they’re talking about, so I’m taking their advice.
What’s the crown jewel of the products you’ve designed?
I like the [New Balance] Cypher 12 cleats. They might be one of the coolest things I have designed because it has a very meaningful message. It’s my dad’s favorite color, and it represents Puerto Rico. It represents my mom’s favorite color. It represents my favorite color. And I got a couple of hats coming out with New Era that will be more of my touch, my style and a Puerto Rico style.
You have one of the largest Instagram audiences in Major League Baseball, and you’re in the top 5% for engagement among players. What’s your Instagram strategy?
The Indians have always said whatever you’re going to post, make sure you can put it on a big billboard. I have a message. I have a way of how I’m going to relate to people and how I’m going to impact people, and there are certain things I don’t post because I want to impact kids. I want to impact grandparents. When a grandparent tells their kid, “I want your son to be like Francisco Lindor,” that means the world to me. And when a kid comes up to me and tells me, “Hey, I want to be just like you,” that impacts me a lot. That’s what I want to do. So the things I post have to be relevant to grandparents and the younger generation.
How do you ensure your posts resonate with those audiences?
I visualize myself posting something. I’m like, “How am going to say this?” I’ve talked to my friends, I talked to my agent, my mom. I’ll say, “Mom, you think I should say this?” And she’s like, “Yeah, but say it this way.” I always get input.
![[New Balance] Cypher 12 cleats.](https://www.whatproswear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Lindor-Cleats-2019-3.jpg){kind=link}
I don’t have any problems with flipping bats and showing a lot of emotion because I’m an emotional guy. I show emotions; I play the game with emotions. As long as you don’t look at that person. Like for example, you hit a home run, you throw the bat 10 feet, and then you look at the pitcher, now you’ve got a problem with the pitcher.
But if you throw the bat and you look at your teammates and you celebrate with your teammates, that’s the moment. You grow up to be in those situations. … But if you look at somebody, now you’re showing somebody up because, the way I see it, that person is mad that they just gave up a home run. They’d lost the game, and you’re going to look at them and let them know, like, “I beat you.” Now that’s a little bit disrespectful, but humans have emotions.
To the older generation that played the game before me, I thank them because they set the path for me to be here. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today, but I thank them for everything they did and playing the game and how they played the game. … I respect them all, and I look up to a lot of them, and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
What non-sports brands do you draw inspiration from?
Off-White, Amiri, Balenciaga, Richard Mille and Fear of God.
Finally, let’s have some fun. I’ll give you a brand mascot, and you tell me which of your teammates embodies that mascot.
Mr. Peanut:
Tyler Naquin.
Tony the Tiger:
Mike Clevinger or Roberto Perez.
Kool-Aid Man:
Carlos Santana or Jose Ramirez.
Energizer Bunny:
Leonys Martin.
Geico Gecko:
That’s definitely Naquin.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Francisco Lindor did not get the gold earlier this week, but on Thursday he brought home some silver for the second straight year.
The Cleveland Indians infielder earned Louisville Silver Slugger Awards in the American League for 2018 based on his offensive productivity. Lindor was also finalist at his defensive positions for Rawlings Gold Glove Awards that were announced Sunday.
The Indians were among four teams with multiple Silver Slugger Award winners, including Boston, Houston, Colorado and Arizona. Yan Gomes was a finalist among AL catchers with the award going to Kansas City’s Salvador Perez.
Lindor, a three-time All-Star at shortstop, saw his increased power numbers from 2017 carry over to this season. The 24-year-old upped his career-high home run total by five (38). He collected a career-best 183 hits, including 42 doubles and two triples. He became the first shortstop in MLB history and first Indian with at least 35 home runs, 40 doubles and 20 stolen bases in a single season
Among all-time MLB switch-hitting shortstops, Lindor's 38 home runs ranks first, ahead of Jimmy Rollins (2007) and Jose Valentin (2004), who each hit 30. Lindor led the AL with 129 runs scored.
Lindor finished the season ranked tied for fourth in the AL in hits, tied for sixth in home runs, tied for first in runs scored, eighth overall in stolen bases and second overall in total bases. He connected on a franchise-best and MLB-high nine leadoff home runs.
June 2, 2018
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor was named American League Player of the Month for May, Major League Baseball announced Saturday.
Lindor hit .373 and slugged .737 with an OPS of 1.310 in May. He scored 27 runs and collected 44 hits, including 13 doubles and 10 home runs while driving in 23.
It is his first career Player of the Month Award, and the first time an Indians player has claimed the honor since Jason Kipnis in May 2015. Earlier, Lindor won AL Player of the Week honors for the week ending May 6.
Lindor led the AL in runs, hits, doubles and batting average in May. He was third in slugging percentage, tied for third in home runs and on-base percentage and tied for sixth in RBI.
In May, Lindor twice recorded games with two doubles and two home runs. He also became the first Indians leadoff hitter to total four extra-base hits in a game since Tribe manager Terry Francona's father, Tito, did so in 1954.
Francona said he's enjoyed watching Lindor and teammate Jose Ramirez grow into stars.
"It's fun to see what they're turning into," Francona said. "Is a guy going to hit for average? Can he hit for power? Can he do both? Both of them are doing both and they're good defenders. We're pretty fortunate that two of our best players -- put (Michael Brantley) in that -- they play every day, they love to play, they're great guys and we're pretty fortunate."
By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
January 22, 2018
CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor leaned over to examine the large poster that had just been unveiled to his left at Tribe Fest on Saturday. When Tom Hamilton, the radio voice of the Indians, asked the young shortstop what he thought of the new cover for R.B.I. Baseball 18, Lindor cracked a smile.
"I love it. I love it," Lindor said amid cheers from his audience at the Huntington Convention Center. "They made me look good in that picture. So, thank you, R.B.I. for making me look a lot better."
Lindor was announced as the new cover athlete for R.B.I. Baseball's latest installment at the Indians' annual fan fest, and the selection was more than fitting. Over the past three seasons, Cleveland's dynamic shortstop has quickly established himself not only as one of the faces of Major League Baseball, but as an ambassador for the game.
R.B.I. Baseball 18
When the idea of playing baseball for a living began to take hold of Lindor's childhood dreams, he did not simply want to reach the Majors. The shortstop is not shy about saying he always envisioned himself becoming one of the best players in the game, as well as an inspiration to kids.
Being on the R.B.I. 18 cover is another way for Lindor to keep extending his reach in the game.
"It's unreal. It's a dream. It's a blessing," Lindor said on Saturday. "I'm blessed to be playing this game -- and to have things like that [cover], that's a plus. I thank the Lord for everything, and I thank the Indians organization and everybody that made this posssible."
Lindor follows in the footsteps of past R.B.I. Baseball cover selections Corey Seager (2017), Mookie Betts ('16) and Anthony Rizzo ('15). The classic video game, which was relaunched by Major League Baseball in conjunction with the MLB Players' Association in '14, will be available this March for PlayStation 4, the Xbox One family of devices, Nintendo Switch, iPhone, iPad and Android-supported phones and tablets.
While Lindor said he would "take on anybody" who challenged him in R.B.I. Baseball 18, the shortstop admitted to having taken some losses on the video-game front lately back home.
"My nephew beats me all the time, so I definitely have got to get better," Lindor said with a laugh. "The first game I beat him, and I beat all my friends. It was like a group of four. Then, I don't know what happened. I went on a losing streak. I haven't won a game since. It's fun. I love whenever you can play against somebody and see what they've got. Competition, wherever it is, it's always cool."
Both on and off the field, Lindor has earned a reputation for his infectious enthusiasm. During Players' Weekend last August, for example, the Indians' shortstop went as far as wearing the nickname, "Mr. Smile," on the back of his jersey. Lindor describes himself as a big kid, and that has been on full display over his three seasons with the Tribe. After dynamic defensive plays or big hits, that smile quickly surfaces.
Behind the scenes, Lindor has strived since his rookie year to get involved in as much as possible -- especially if working with aspiring ballplayers is involved. He has participated in MLB Network's Play Ball series, started a charity program called, "Lindor's Smile Squad," to host children and adult athletes with disabilities at select home games, and has donated his time on numerous occasions to Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) programs, not only in Cleveland, but around the country.
All of that said, Lindor's off-field achievements alone did not clinch his place on the R.B.I. cover.
Lindor has developed into one of baseball's brightest young stars and one of the top shortstops in the game. The switch-hitter was the runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2015, an All-Star in '16 and '17, picked up both Gold and Platinum Glove Awards in '16 and added a Silver Slugger to his trophy case in '17. Two years ago, Lindor also helped lead the Indians to the World Series.
Cleveland won its second straight American League Central crown last season, as it racked up 102 victories and set an AL record with a 22-game winning streak. Along the way, Lindor set career highs in home runs (33), doubles (44), RBIs (89), slugging percentage (.505) and OPS (.842) in 159 games. He set the single-season club records for homers by a middle infielder and extra-base hits (81) for a shortstop. For his work, Lindor finished fifth in voting for the AL Most Valuable Player Award (two spots behind teammate Jose Ramirez).
Lindor said he is excited to see what 2018 has in store for the Tribe.
"We all know we can win it," Lindor said. "We all know we've got what it takes. We've been there. We just haven't closed it. I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to being with my new teammates and my old teammates, and everybody throughout the whole season.
"It's so much fun going from Day 1 in Spring Training all the way to the last day of the season. A lot of things happen. Whether it's good things, bad things, a lot of things happen. A lot of good moments. A lot of time for me to smile, so I love it."
By Jordan Bastian, MLB.com
BOSTON, FEBRUARY 24, 2017 – Global athletic leader New Balance announced today the signing of Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor to a multi-year endorsement contract. New Balance will be Lindor’s official on-field footwear and off-field apparel provider, and Lindor will become the global face of New Balance Baseball as the brand continues its rapid global expansion.
In 2016, his second year in the big leagues, Lindor’s incredible on-field performance earned him a spot on the AL All-Star team and helped Cleveland reach Game 7 of the World Series. His seven multi-hit games during the postseason broke the record for most ever for a player under 23 years old. At the close of the 2016 season, Lindor was presented with both the Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove awards, and was also named by Sports Illustrated as the “Rising Star of the Year”. Most meaningfully to Lindor, during the 2016 season he became an MLB Ambassador for the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) and Play Ball programs. This enabled him to reach out to youth across the country and introduce them to the game loves.
“With the new and innovative on and off-field gear New Balance is designing, I am very excited to become a huge part of the brand,” said Lindor. “The opportunity to be a global ambassador for such a great company is amazing and humbling, and it’s been great learning about our shared commitment to community and charity. I’m honored to have such a prominent role in continuing the great momentum behind the NB brand.”
A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Francisco Lindor moved to the United States at the age of 12. After graduating from Montverde Academy in 2011, he was drafted in the first round by Cleveland. After a few years in the minor leagues, in 2015 Lindor was called up to the big leagues and quickly made an impact, leading all rookies in batting average (.313) and all AL Shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.
“Francisco Lindor represents the heart of the New Balance Baseball brand: a young, exciting player with incredible talent who displays joy and passion for the game as well as a genuine desire to give back to the community that supports him,” said Ray Hilvert, Vice President of Sports Marketing for New Balance. “We’re thrilled to embark on this new relationship and look forward to elevating Francisco’s star power around the world as a global ambassador for New Balance and NB Baseball.”