Occupying the designated hitter (DH) spot in the lineup is often not as easy as it seems.
Players have said that DHing takes away some of their usual focus on the game, a mistake that they don’t let themselves make when they play the field.
It makes sense, but for others, DHing means they go to the plate with a more relaxed approach.
A relaxed hitter often performs better than a tense one.
Everybody has a preference, and while New York Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor hasn’t spoken about the topic, the numbers indicate he does more than well enough when he has to be the DH.
“Francisco Lindor as a DH in his career: .480 AVG 7 HR 13 RBI 1.410 OPS,” SNY Mets tweeted on Thursday.
Francisco Lindor as a DH in his career:
.480 AVG
7 HR
13 RBI
1.410 OPS pic.twitter.com/Odtd0RsBuC— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 21, 2022
Lindor is the DH in Thursday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.
And guess what?
He’s raking.
Another Excellent Game By Lindor As A DH
So far (the game is not finished at the time of writing this piece), the elite shortstop was 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and an RBI.
The position seems to suit him well.
The Mets, however, are using him there to give him a little breather, not because they have intentions to move him there permanently.
And why would they, with Lindor being one of the best defensive shortstops in the league?
Everything seems to be working for the Mets at the moment: the team is clicking and it is leading the NL East with a comfortable cushion, even without their best pitcher (Jacob deGrom).
As long as everybody is relatively healthy and deGrom returns eventually, New York has a great shot at making the playoffs.
