Did shifting Lindor to leadoff spot save Mets' season?

NEW YORK -- Oct. 17, 1960. Oct. 16, 1969. Oct. 27, 1986.

Those signify three of the most important dates in Mets history: The organization officially joined the National League and the clinching of its two World Series championships.

Depending on how the remainder of the postseason plays out, May 18, 2024, might join those days in franchise lore. That is when Mets manager Carlos Mendoza moved scuffling superstar Francisco Lindor to the leadoff spot for his underachieving ballclub, which held a 20-24 record at the time.

“I just love getting things started,” Lindor said during Tuesday’s National League Championship Series workout day at Citi Field. “I think it's kind of cool to be able to get a base hit, steal a base or [hit] a home run or a double. And you just get the crowd and team going.”

It was a risky move considering Brandon Nimmo is not only a prototypical leadoff hitter but also one of the best in the Majors. Among 28 players with at least 1,000 plate appearances in that role, Nimmo ranked 10th in OPS (.825) from 2018-24. His 25 triples over that span were the most of any leadoff batter.

Though the initial result wasn’t pretty -- Lindor went hitless in five at-bats to lower his season OPS to .617 in a walk-off loss to Miami -- the decision clearly paid off in the long run. Lindor turned things around to become an NL MVP candidate and the Mets are three victories away from their first World Series appearance since 2015.

“Not a secret, we were struggling offensively as a team,” Mendoza said. “I remember it was after a tough loss in Miami. We were going back to the hotel, [and] I was right next to Francisco. We were having a lot of conversations, and then the lineup construction came up.

“I put it out there, just wanted to give him a different look, wanted to get his take. The first thing he said was, ‘Yeah, when I first came up to the league, I hit leadoff.’ So we continued to have that conversation. The one thing that he said was, ‘If you want to do it, let's give it a good look here.’ We didn't want it to be a couple of games or a week or so. Let's give it a run and see how it goes. And, man, he took off. And it seems like the lineup kind of fed off that. He's a good player.”

With Lindor serving as the leadoff man, the Mets have gone 70-48 (including the postseason) while averaging 4.97 runs per game. They are 19-24 with 4.19 runs per game otherwise.

Among 29 players with at least 50 games in the leadoff spot for the whole game, Lindor ranks as follows:

• AVG: .298 (sixth)
• OBP: .374 (sixth)
• SLG: .548 (fourth)
• OPS: .922 (fourth)
• Home runs: 28 (fourth)

And Lindor didn’t just set the tone at the plate. After the Mets were swept by the Dodgers in late May at Citi Field, Lindor called a players’ only meeting. New York went 67-40 from then on to clinch the NL’s final Wild Card spot.

Following Sunday’s lopsided loss to open the NLCS, Lindor snapped the Dodgers’ MLB-record-tying scoreless streak at 33 innings with a leadoff home run in Game 2 on Monday. He is slashing .286/.394/.607 with three doubles, two homers, five walks, six RBIs and seven runs over his past seven games.

“My impression of him is that he's a really good guy,” said Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who is the favorite to win the NL MVP ahead of Lindor. “He smiles a lot. I do feel like he's leading the club as well, and I think both of us are in this position where what we did in the regular season is over and what matters is how we produce -- what we produce -- during the postseason. I do think we're perhaps connected in the same sense.”

Lindor, who will turn 31 on Nov. 14, is insistent he doesn’t change his approach depending on his lineup spot. At the same time, Lindor does consider it his responsibility to gather as much information as possible for his teammates as the leadoff man. He sees slightly more pitches on average per plate appearance (4.0) atop the order than elsewhere (3.8).

Case in point: After Lindor’s Game 2 homer, which came on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, he could be seen giving No. 2 batter Mark Vientos a quick scouting report afterward. He did the same repeatedly throughout the Mets' NL Division Series victory over the Phillies.

“As of right now, I do prefer it today,” Lindor said of leading off. “Next year, I might come in and say -- you might ask me the same question -- I might be hitting second. I'll say, ‘Oh, I'll prepare today for second.’ Whatever the team needs.”