Lindor appreciates MVP chants, says they 'are won in August and September'
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has been getting MVP chants from the Citi Field crowd thanks to his incredible play, but he believes there's more work to be done before he can think about winning the honor.
"It brings a smile to my face because it would be a dream," Lindor said, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. "But I understand we've still got a long way to go, and I've got to put up way better numbers. If the fans feel that way, it's fantastic. But I got to continue to climb. I got to continue to help the team win.
"MVPs are not won in June and July. MVPs are won in August and September."
Lindor has been one of baseball's best players following a rough start to the campaign for him and his squad, which forced him to call a players-only meeting May 29 after New York dropped to 11 games under .500.
Since then, the 30-year-old shortstop is slashing .308/.383/.556 with 17 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 19 steals as the surging Mets have put themselves into playoff contention. He leads NL players in fWAR, has been above-average defensively at shortstop, and has played an instrumental role in the team's clubhouse as a leadership figure.
"He is just hugging everybody, slapping five with everybody, making sure that we're all together," Mets reliever Adam Ottavino said. "Because that's exactly who he is."
New York enters Thursday 1.5 games behind the injury-riddled Atlanta Braves for the final wild-card spot.
Lindor intends for the Mets to make the postseason this year and in future seasons, with his biggest goal becoming a World Series champion.
"I'm proud to be a New York Met," Lindor said. "But my job is not done. I haven't done what it takes to win. We haven't won the World Series. So I don't want to say I've done my job to the ultimate end. I feel like not until the day we win, when I have the opportunity to give the trophy to Steve (Cohen) or Alex (Cohen) and say we did it, the job is not done.
"And then, since we're in New York, nobody's going to care in the next year. So we got to go out and do it again."