Mets great spoke with Francisco Lindor after rough 2021 season

Long before Carlos Beltran served as a special assistant to New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, Beltran became one of the greatest all-around players in Mets history during a tenure that ran from 2005 through part of the 2011 season. 

For a piece published Friday, Tim Britton of The Athletic touched upon how Beltran spoke with shortstop Francisco Lindor after Lindor endured a rough debut season with the Mets in 2021. 

"I shared with him everything that I went through," Beltran told Britton about those conversations. "My first year I tried to be such a nice person that I went away a little bit from my preparation. You come into a new city with a new contract, the media wants to talk to you, and a lot of times it’s one-on-one, and I went away from my routine to accommodate that. The year after, I learned I need to make sure I take care of (my preparation) first."

The franchise now known as the Cleveland Guardians traded Lindor to the Mets in January 2021, and he put pen to paper on a 10-year contract extension worth $341M in late March of that year. He then heard boos that spring amid his struggles at the plate, and he later had to apologize for a "thumbs-down" celebration that was a direct response to fans. 

Beltran featured for the small-market Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros before he joined the Mets following the 2004 season. Thus, he knows a little bit about what Lindor experienced back in 2021. 

"In the five-and-a-half years I played in Kansas City," Beltran explained, "I never was booed. Now I come to New York and I’m not performing well the first month and they let me know. I felt the pressure, and I felt it until I understood how the system worked. Now I understood how the system worked, and now I need to focus on the things I can control, and that’s my effort daily when I come to the ballpark."

Whatever Beltran said to Lindor seemingly made a difference. Lindor is now arguably the Mets' most popular player among fans, and he emerged this year as the team's emotional leader and as a legitimate National League Most Valuable Player candidate before he was sidelined by a lingering back injury in mid-September. 

The Mets are hoping Lindor will be available through this weekend's three-game series at the Milwaukee Brewers that will help determine New York's postseason fate. The Amazins began Friday in possession of an NL wild-card playoff spot but also know they likely will have to play at least part of a make-or-break doubleheader at the rival Atlanta Braves on Monday. 

"The consistency that he has had since the season started has been incredible," Beltran added about Lindor's contributions to the 2024 Mets. "The leadership in the clubhouse, playing every single game until he recently had this injury with his back. With that being said, just being able to watch him day in, day out playing Gold Glove-caliber defense and having the MVP-type of year has been impressive, understanding that his first month was a struggle for him. ...I’m proud of him."