MLB analyst predicts strong 2025 campaign for Francisco Lindor despite lackluster Spring Training

MLB analyst Dan Plesac is confident that the poor showing of New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor during Spring Training will not carry over into the regular season. Plesac pointed out that Lindor delivered an outstanding season for the Mets last year even though he made a slow start to the campaign.

Francisco Lindor and the Mets had to endure a troublesome opening two months of the season before inspiring the team to a postseason berth and a run to the Championship Series. The Mets superstar was undoubtedly one of the best players in the entire MLB last season and duly finished as the runner-up for the National League MVP behind Shohei Ohtani.

Former three-time All-Star reliever Dan Plesac believes Lindor will deliver a similarly strong season this year despite his uninspiring display in Spring Training. He offered his thoughts regarding the Mets slugger for "MLB Network" on Monday.

"I know last year he got off to a little bit of a slow start. He was the best player for the Mets on a really good team that made it to the postseason," Plesac said.

"You can make a case, offensively, he single-handedly carried them the last four to five weeks of the season," Plesac continued. "Battled some issues down the stretch with that ankle. Wasn't sure if he was going to get that much playing time. Battled through that.

"Look at that Spring Training .145 [batting average]. I'm not too concerned about that with the home runs," he added. "I think he's one of those guys who's going to get ready on Thursday. Expect him to have another big year."

The New York Mets will kickstart their 2025 season on Thursday with a three-game series on the road against the Houston Astros.

Luisangel Acuna acts like he doesn’t care: Francisco Lindor

Luisangel Acuna was brought in as a temporary replacement for Francisco Lindor (Image Source: IMAGN)

Last year, the New York Mets promoted infield prospect Luisangel Acuna from the minor leagues to make his MLB debut as a replacement for Francisco Lindor when the latter was sidelined for a short stretch at the back end of the regular season. The 22-year-old impressed during the 14 games he played, putting up better numbers in the majors than he did in Triple-A.

Lindor shared his perspective on the Mets' No. 7 prospect with Anthony DiComo of MLB.com on Saturday.

"I think he plays bored in Spring Training," Lindor said. "If the lights come on, then he’s good. [Last year in the minors], he was bored, probably. He doesn’t get amped up for it.

"He acts like he doesn’t care," he added. "And when you act like you don’t care, yeah, you’re bored. He’s not putting everything he’s got into it. It doesn’t feel like he’s being challenged."

Luisangel Acuna posted a .308/.325/.641 with a 168 OPS+ over the 14 games he played for the Mets in 2024. He batted 12-39 with six extra-base hits, six RBIs and three home runs.

How do you think Francisco Lindor and the New York Mets will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.