It seems hard to believe that New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has never started an All-Star game in his illustrious career.
The 31-year-old superstar has accomplished nearly everything else in his 11 years in Major League Baseball, including four Silver Slugger Awards, two Gold Glove Awards, and six top-ten Most Valuable Player Award finishes, including three in the top five. Yet due to a combination of slow starts and strong shortstop competition, Lindor has come off the bench in each of his four All-Star appearances and has not made the team since 2019, his last year with the Cleveland Guardians.
This year, however, looks to be a prime opportunity for Lindor to reverse the trend. His MVP runner-up finish in 2024, along with the Mets run to the National League Championship Series, finally earned him recognition as one of baseball’s best players. And unlike his first few years in Queens, Lindor has gotten off to a great start in 2025, leading all National League shortstops with 14 home runs and a .843 OPS.
Despite this, Lindor’s starting nod at shortstop is far from a shoo-in, as the competition at the position is fierce. This is why MLB.com’s Will Leitch believes Lindor’s potential first All-Star game nod is one of the biggest dilemmas on this year’s ballot.
“One would think this would be the year, and not just because he’s putting up great numbers again, his best numbers as a Met: He’s also the unquestioned leader of one of the most exciting, and best, teams in baseball,” wrote Lindor. “But also don’t forget the real reason he hasn’t made an All-Star Game as a Met: The intense competition. Namely, Mookie Betts, Elly De La Cruz, Trea Turner (who was last year’s starter) and even upstarts CJ Abrams and Geraldo Perdomo.”
The two biggest threats from that list are the captivating De La Cruz, who leads the position with 43 RBI and has stolen 19 bases, and the steady Turner, who leads MLB with 74 hits. The popular Betts also can’t be overlooked despite a down season, and the same could be said about Abrams (8 home runs, .818 OPS) and Perdomo (.373 OBP, 11-11 SB)
Even with all this, Lindor still looks to have the upper hand, and Leitch even says his vote would go to the Mets superstar. Another great month by Lindor and the Mets should earn him his first All-Star game start of his career.
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