CLEVELAND _ Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor has always played with a particular level of aggressiveness and a spirit that better mirrors backyard baseball than the major leagues. One of his goals within the game, no matter how long he plays, is to never lose that spirit.
One example has been his insistence on continuing to bunt in certain situations, dating back the past few years. Lindor has become one of the elite players in the game and a Most Valuable Player candidate. An argument exists that a hitter of that caliber should almost never give himself up as an out. Lindor did it several times last season and repeatedly said he'd keep it as part of his game. And despite belting 33 home runs in 2017, Lindor has refused to acknowledge his status as a power threat.
"I don't care what you guys say, I'm going to bunt," Lindor said last May. "That's just me. I'm not a power hitter. I just have to make sure I get my bunts down, get my runners over. I want the RBI, but sometimes you have to play to win. If that's what it takes, I'm going to do it."
Another example was on display on Friday. With Lindor on second base, Jose Ramirez lined a ball to Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis, who stopped it but couldn't field it cleanly. Lindor rounded third and headed for home, forcing a quick throw from Travis. The throw beat Lindor to the plate and he was tagged out, but one play would never act as a deterrent. Pushing the envelope has steadily remained one of his priorities.
Lindor wants to hold on to that aggressiveness for as long as he's playing the game. He has played the game the same way since he was in high school. Now one of the younger stars in the league, he doesn't plan on changing much, whether it's a bunt or an attempt to take an extra base. "I don't want to ever lose that," Lindor said. "Aggressive teams go a long way. Aggressive but smart. You have to know when to go and when not to go. That's our identity. Play hard, go all the way until the game's finished."
The other aspect is that manager Terry Francona and the Indians have never wanted Lindor to change what he does, valuing how he sees the game. It is just what has come naturally. Dating back two years, Francona has said he loves that Lindor has been open to moving runners over when the situation calls of it. That goes for his aggressiveness on the base paths as well.
"I thought it was really good," Francona said of Lindor's attempt to score. "They caught a break that that ball stayed, whether you're [third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh] or Frankie, there's no way to know exactly where that ball is, and it stayed close enough where they had a shot at us. But I thought it was good base-running and coaching."
