“Francisco Lindor opened this season on fire, but he's since been in a slump” - MLB writer Anthony Dicomo anxious over New York Mets Star’s current stats in the league, highlights the falling graph since season start

The New York Mets are off to one of the greatest starts in franchise history. The team played all of April firing on all cylinders. They have been dominant in all three facets of the game: hitting, pitching, and defense. The team is 18-9 on the 2022 season.

One of the players leading the charge offensively is shortstop Francisco Lindor. Lindor was enjoying what looked to be the start of an immensely successful bounce-back campaign in 2022. After coming to the New York Mets via a trade with the Cleveland Guardians that also included Carlos Carrasco (who has been dominant to this point on the mound this year), Lindor signed a megadeal of an extension. He signed for $341 million over a ten-year span. However, Lindor struggled mightily in 2021, limping to a .734 OPS and a batting average of .230, the embodiment of a disappointing Mets season.

San Francisco Giants v New York Mets - Game One

However, Lindor started 2022 with one of the hottest bats in the game. Through the first 17 games of the 2022 season, Lindor owned a .313 batting average and a .985 OPS. He was the engine powering this consistently tough offense.

Since the New York Mets took their road trip to the St. Louis, Lindor has cooled off considerably.

MLB.com reporter Anthony Dicomo has pointed out that a major slump has now taken over Lindor's bat since the team traveled to take on the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Francisco Lindor opened this season on fire, but he's since fallen into a bit of a slump. Lindor is batting .128/.209/.154 over his last 10 games, with 10 strikeouts, two walks and one extra-base hit (a double)."- Antony Dicomo-MLB.com

The slump has brought Lindor closer to his paltry 2021 numbers. And while that may be initially concerning for the Mets, the analytics point more to a streak of bad luck than anything else. During the month of April, Lindor's batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .303. However, since May began, his BABIP has cratered to .091. This, combined with other deep analytics, indicates that the superstar shortstop with the $341 million smile should bounce back relatively soon.

"The cruel game has gotten crueler." -@MetsfanOnYT

Francisco Lindor will be a key factor in whether the New York Mets are playing October baseball this season. When he's on, there are few players more valuable than him. Mets fans everywhere hope he can navigate his way out of this most recent slump.