Finding out Francisco Lindor has never been an All-Star as a Met is not exactly like the day you learn there is no Tooth Fairy, but it does come with a “Wait! What?” reaction.
Lindor has Mets credentials to suggest that would be nearly impossible — including three top nine NL MVP finishes the past three years, two NL shortstop Silver Sluggers and being a seemingly Cooperstown-bound player with a vivacious personality excelling in the nation’s largest market.
“You have got to have a good first half, and I haven’t had a good All-Star-type first half with the Mets, where people feel like I deserve to be an All-Star,” Lindor said.
This velvet rope seems ready to fall. Lindor, a four-time All-Star with Cleveland, has all the right elements of a candidacy. He is even larger in fan consciousness — having delivered seismic clutch hits en route to being the NL MVP runner-up in 2024, helping the Mets to a surprising NLCS run.