The Importance Of Francisco Lindor's Strong Finish In Rough 1st Season With Mets

NEW YORK- Despite enduring a rough first season with the Mets, Francisco Lindor is having a promising finish offensively.

And on Tuesday, this trend continued, as Lindor slugged his 19th home run of the year, and eighth long ball in the month of September.

Lindor's latest blast provided two much-needed insurance runs, which helped the Mets pull out a 5-2 victory over the Marlins in Game 1 of their doubleheader sweep yesterday.

Overall, Lindor has been on a tear as of late, slashing .258/.352/.559 with a .911 OPS, eight homers and 21 RBIs in the final month of play.

After signing a massive 10-year, $341 million contract on the eve of the regular season, which kicks in at the start of 2022, Lindor is starting to provide some hope for his long-term future with the Mets.

Although he didn't have the season he would've hoped for, slashing .229/.323/.407 with a .730 OPS, 19 home runs and 59 RBIs, while also missing five weeks with an oblique strain in the second-half, Lindor is finishing strong, which is an important aspect as he embarks on his tenure with the Mets.

Manager Luis Rojas seems to think his impressive ending is important for both the player and team moving forward too.

"It's very important. I want everyone to finish strong, [and] play their best level of baseball," said Rojas. "We have Francisco, we are talking about him, yes it is very important.

"All of the years he is going to be here, I think Mets fans, the organization and everyone here is just going to enjoy watching Francisco succeed here," said Rojas. "He wants to play everyday. He wants to go out there and show everyone what he can do for this team, for this organization, for the amount of years he is going to be here."

Rojas also believes this final stretch will help Lindor heading into next season as well.

"Even though we are not 'in it' anymore, I know he is going to want to go out and just keep doing what he does best and finish strong so it can connect into the offseason," said Rojas. "That's going to be the last taste of baseball that they are going to get this season, so why not give your best until the end?

"And I think that's my appreciation to the guys and I think Francisco is doing just that right now."

Lindor is certainly playing with some fire, and after his first-half struggles, it's rather impressive that he still has a chance to finish with 20 home runs this season.

If he can accomplish this feat, Lindor would be the first Mets shortstop to eclipse the 20-homer mark since Asdrubal Cabrera [23] did it back in 2016.

This would be something for Lindor, the Mets' organization and the fans to hang their hats on, as we venture into what should be an interesting offseason.