Could the World Baseball Classic held in February and March be the cause of the slow start of New York Mets infielder Francisco Lindor?
In the eyes of Mets manager Buck Showalter, that could be part of the answer.
Since the start of the season, the New York point guard has maintained that Lindor’s numbers are well below expectations.
“Step back, I think it had an effect. Starting the competition at this time of the year can be a bit tiring,” admitted the manager after his team’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Since the start of the 2023 campaign, the Dominican is batting just .213 (.213/.284/.404) with 10 long balls and 40 RBIs.
Buck Showalter came to this conclusion when discussing Omar Narvaez who also participated in the event and who has just returned from a two-month injury.
Thus, the Mets would have lost the services of Narvaez, but also Edwin Diaz due to the World Baseball Classic, in addition to Lindor’s current underperformance.
Let’s hope for the shortstop that he can turn the tide by the end of the season.
