Francisco Lindor on the rise with the Mets, says the best is yet to come

The stars can never shine bright enough. Francisco Lindor has begun to conquer New York…and he doesn’t believe Mets fans haven’t seen a thing yet.

Francisco Lindor thinks the best is yet to come.

Mets fans have spent too much of the 2021 season pleading: Will the real Francisco Lindor stand up? And now?

“I have always been the real one. Am I at my best? No,” Lindor told the Post. “I always feel like there’s so much more for me to learn. …

“Let me in. Real Lindor have always been there, I just struggled, and this year I’m playing a bit better.

« But I feel like there’s so much room for me to grow. Even in Cleveland, I haven’t peaked in Cleveland. I definitely haven’t touched it here yet. Every day I I feel like every day there is something I could have done better.

« So I feel like…there’s more to come for sure. »

So the best is yet to come?

« Yeah, that’s how I would rephrase it, » Lindor said.

Lindor’s best came quickly on Saturday at Citi Field. In the third inning, he hit a two-run home run to left center that mocked any wind on a 2-2 count against a 92 mph four-seam Braxton Garrett. His 11th home run of the season backed off Taijuan Walker’s gem in the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the Marlins.

« I had a good swing, » Lindor said. « Felt good. »

The outburst gave him 51 RBI – a mark he didn’t reach last season until Sept. 12 (he finished with 63).

“Lindor came here. I have been here. Good or bad, I’ve been here,” he says with a smile. “I worked hard day in and day out to be the best I could be. But I really feel like I can do better. Even this year, I can definitely improve a lot more.

With his mother, Maria Serrano, in the stands on Friday night watching him for the first time as a Met, Lindor hit a three-run homer and also bathed in a hot bath of love from everyone. the others at Citi Field. She was there on Saturday too, and will be there on Father’s Day.

Told manager Buck Showalter cracked that he wanted his mum to stay, Lindor smiled and said, “I want my mum to stay too. She brings out the best in me, that’s for sure. This whole weekend is for her and my family, so… I’ve got some good pitches to hit, too.

Lindor pointed to his family and raised his fist several times on the way to the dugout as the crowd roared for him, mum said there would be days like this.

“It makes you feel super special and happy that the fans here…love me,” Lindor said with a laugh. “With the said intake, I can’t be liked by everyone. But a lot of people have expressed their support, and I really appreciate that. It makes me really happy.

I said, « You’re a sensitive guy. »

« I am, » Lindor said.

When you sign a 10-year, $341 million extension before your first game as the Met, the boobirds will remind you in a minute in New York that they expect more, and Lindor is off to a humble start.

« I am human, » he said. « I feel like anyone who goes to work and doesn’t do their best job day in and day out, it’s going to be frustrating. If you’re not, you’re in the wrong job.

To his credit, Mr. Smile never let New York wipe the smile off his face.

« They kinda stuck with me at first, then I struggled, I didn’t give them a reason to cheer me on, yeah, they let me know, » Lindor said. « And then towards the end of the year, the Yankee Series, it was great, they supported me even before that. »

Ah, that September Subway Series drama, when Lindor hit three home runs and whistled the Yankees dugout around the bases and Citi Field celebrated a 7-6 victory.

« I love it here, » Lindor said. » It’s a big city. It’s better than I really thought it was going to be. When you arrive as a visiting player it’s so fast, so busy, that when you come here you want to do so many different things and you really can’t do it in three days. But now I live here. My wife and I spent three weeks after last year’s season, we wanted to get out and walk around.

SNY cameras catch Lindor next to Showalter.

« Trying to understand the game a little better, trying to learn, » Lindor said, « that’s why I keep saying I feel like I have so much more to learn. In the game, but not only the game, in life.

Derek Jeter was often seen next to Joe Torre in the Yankees dugout.

“It’s fun to be here. He thinks about the game all the time,” Showalter said. « Sometimes, actually, I… don’t pick on him, but I’m kind of like, ‘Hey, play the game naturally. He loves natural skills and playfulness, but he wants to be perfect, and sometimes he chases something that doesn’t exist. So I like to talk to him about « Trust yourself ». You see something, go ahead. He made a few games last [Friday] night with just pure imagination. You don’t want to take that imagination, that free flow… »

Said that Lindor seems to choose his brain, Showalter said: “Well, I choose his too, he doesn’t know that. I like to know what he thinks. He likes to talk about the game. He’s a lookout. He’s an appraiser. Reviewing the games that happened… It’s good for me. It keeps me on my toes.

Lindor became a leader on a wild Mets team that kept Mets fans on their toes.

“Very good team. Good people. Lots of professional players here,” Lindor said.

If the best is yet to come for Francisco Lindor, the best is yet to come for Buck Showalter’s Mets.