Why Mets players believe Francisco Lindor deserved to be All-Star
SAN DIEGO — Brandon Nimmo wants to send the message loud and clear: The players got it wrong in selecting Geraldo Perdomo over Francisco Lindor as a substitute at shortstop for the National League All-Star team.
The Mets outfielder is so passionate about the matter that he summoned a Post reporter who was leaving the visitor’s clubhouse at Petco Park after the game Friday night and stated his case as teammates cheered on in the background.
Perdomo, the Diamondbacks shortstop, is replacing the Cubs’ Dansby Swanson, who was removed from the NL roster because of an injury.
Perdomo entered Saturday with a .274/.381/.416 slash line, five homers and 33 RBIs.
Lindor stood at .239/.322/.483, with 19 homers and 60 RBIs. Nimmo took to task the hitter-friendly conditions at Perdomo’s home ballpark, Chase Field, compared to Citi Field.
“Francisco has all these extra-base hits in a park that is not a hitter’s ballpark and you could argue that Arizona is almost as bad as Colorado,” Nimmo told The Post. “They always talk about the Hall of Fame and all this stuff and I heard all the crap with Todd Helton and his numbers are inflated because he’s in Coors Field, well you can say that same stuff about Arizona. [Lindor] should be in the All-Star game — 100 percent.”
Daniel Vogelbach was the loudest — as is often the case — in the clubhouse in questioning why Lindor wasn’t selected to the All-Star game.
Pete Alonso and Kodai Senga will represent the Mets.
The Japanese rookie Senga was added to the NL roster on Saturday.
“[Lindor] is a leader and look at his numbers,” Vogelbach said. “He posts up every single day, he plays every single day. The All-Star game is the best players in the big leagues and Francisco Lindor is one of the best players in the big leagues.”
The Braves’ Orlando Arcia won the fans’ vote to become the NL starter at shortstop. Lindor finished second in the fans’ voting, but was bypassed as the backup when the players voted in Swanson.
Lindor’s case wasn’t helped by the fact he slumped for much of May into June until a surge over the last three weeks fueled his candidacy.
Entering Saturday, he was third in MLB with a 1.217 OPS since June 18.
It’s possible Lindor’s hot streak so late into the process didn’t receive the attention that was warranted by the players voting.
“It just shows how fast you can turn your season around,” Jeff McNeil said. “I know he didn’t have the best first month or so, but he’s swinging the bat well. It’s impressive what he is doing and I know he’s going to keep that going and hopefully he is going to lead us to a playoff spot.”
Lindor deflected the question when asked if he belonged on the All-Star team.
“On this team, Nimmo deserves it,” Lindor said. “Let’s get him there first and then let’s worry about me.”
As much as he’s getting noticed for his offensive numbers, Lindor said he most enjoys other aspects of the game.
“I love my defense,” he said. “Offense is fun, but defense and running the bases … We all look at offense, because offense is the one you don’t succeed the most and for some reason feels the most rewarding, but to me defense and base running, I love it.”
Beyond the numbers, Nimmo said the fact the Mets just swept three games against Diamondbacks — with Lindor playing a significant role in the wins — should have bolstered his case over Perdomo.
“Based on where we are in the season and what we just did in Arizona, that pick should have gone to [Lindor],” Nimmo said. “I will stand behind that.”
