“Shohei Ohtani might be 50-50 but Francisco Lindor plays a premium position” – Ex-Yankees coach Sean Casey sides with former Mets manager’s MVP take

The NL MVP is up for grabs between Francisco Lindor and Shohei Ohtani

The 2024 NL MVP debate involving LA Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and New York Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor has heated up of late. Both players are having an incredible season, but while Ohtani plays as a DH, analysts keep pushing Lindor’s case due to defensive attributes.

On the podcast, “The Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey,” the former Yankees coach analyzed the performance of both players. Casey points out how the Mets shortstop rebounded from a disastrous opening month this season to being someone in MVP contention.

“If the Mets make the postseason, you really have to start analyzing this race,” Casey said. “I know Ohtani might be 50-50 but at the end of the day Lindor plays a premium position, he’s you know hitting .833 OPS.

“But that’s beside the point, because this guy hit like a .104 in April, he was one of the worst players in the game so since April he has to be one of the best players in baseball.”

Replying to this, co-host Rich Ciancimino brings up how ex-Mets manager Buck Showalter claimed that because of Francisco Lindor’s defensive prowess, he could win games even while going 0-4 at the plate.

“This guy is 30-30 plays shortstop every night, doesn’t take a night off, is a catalyst for that team. Ohtani obviously a catalyst to the top of that order, probably going to go 50-50 but doesn’t play the field, so it’s definitely going to be interesting,” Casey added.

Francisco Lindor continues clutch performances in Mets win-streak

The Mets are on a roll, winning six straight games following their 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox at home on Tuesday. Francisco Lindor can be credited as one of the reasons why they have been hot.

On Tuesday in front of a packed Citi Field, the 30-year-old hit a two-run home run to start the scoring in the third and then came back in the eighth inning for an RBI double. This comes after two clutch solo shots, one against the White Sox on Sunday and a game-tying blast against the Diamondbacks last Thursday.

Lindor is on a 14-game hitting streak and his individual success has propelled the Mets to be just 0.5 games away from the last NL Wild Card spot.