What is Francisco Lindor looking forward to most about his return to Cleveland?
Francisco Lindor never had his chance to say goodbye to the fans of Cleveland.
The Mets shortstop, who rose to star status as a member of the Guardians organization, spent his final season with the club in an eerily quiet Progressive Field in 2020. The COVID-shortened campaign cost him an opportunity to play in front of the Guardians faithful one last time.
Lindor was traded to the Mets, along with Carlos Carrasco, in a January 2021 deal that sent away Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez and prospects Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene.
"I would have loved to have my last year in Cleveland with fans," Lindor said. "I didn’t get that."
Now, more than three seasons since the trade, Lindor will have his homecoming in Cleveland. Major League Baseball's shift from an unbalanced to balanced schedule in 2023 meant that Lindor has played just one series against the Guardians in the previous three seasons since he was traded.
The Mets' three-game series with the Guardians, which begins on Monday night, will be Lindor's first trip back to his roots in MLB.
"I’m looking forward to two things: the atmosphere, which is lovely, extremely awesome, people are great," Lindor said. "And also, playing great baseball over there. They’re playing very well right now, so I’m looking forward to that.
"There’s not gonna be that many people that I know that I played with, but I know there’s clubbies and a couple of players that I played with. I’m excited to see them."
Francisco Lindor's origins as a star
Lindor began to fulfill his potential in the Guardians organization after being picked eighth overall out of Monteverde Academy in Florida in the 2011 MLB Draft.
After breaking into the major leagues as a 21-year-old in 2015, Lindor finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, behind Carlos Correa, with a .313/.353/.482 slash line with 12 home runs, 51 RBI, 50 runs, 22 doubles and 12 stolen bases in 99 games.
In each of the next four seasons, between 2016 and 2019, Lindor was selected as an American League All-Star. He won a pair of Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves and finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting three times.
"It was fantastic to be at a place that I had the opportunity to turn into a man and the people treated me very well," Lindor said. "Yeah, it was fun. There’s a lot of people that I respect and I love."
Lindor was in his second year with Cleveland when the team won 94 games and took down the Red Sox and Blue Jays en route to its first American League pennant since 1996. However, the team lost a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Cubs, who snapped a 108-year championship drought.
Lindor made the playoffs three more times, including in a 102-win season in 2017, but never advanced past the American League Division Series again.
"Understanding the highs are not as high as you might think you are and the lows are not as low as you might think they are," Lindor said of the lessons learned in Cleveland, "you just try to stay even-keel."
The homecoming
It took only a little over three years for the majority of familiar faces to move on. Lindor's manager in Cleveland, Terry Francona, stepped away after the 2023 season. Mike Sarbaugh, the Mets' third base coach, joined Lindor from Cleveland after more than three decades in the Guardians organization.
Lindor mentioned Jose Ramirez, Shane Bieber and Josh Naylor as the holdovers from his time. Infielder Brayan Rocchio and outfielder Tyler Freeman were rising in the minor-league ranks while Lindor was leading the team.
Now, in his fourth season with the Mets and owner of a 10-year contract to remain in New York, Lindor will have a chance to embrace his origins.
As for the reception, he's not quite sure what to expect.
"Who knows?" Lindor said. "But it should be fun to be back in Cleveland."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Francisco Lindor anticipates first game back in Cleveland
