Since the time Desmond Lindsay was taken in the second round of the 2015 draft, the Mets have been waiting for him to have an offensive breakout. Unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances, mainly injuries, Lindsay has not quite lived up to being the player the Mets once dubbed an “offensive machine.”
That was until his limited duty in the Arizona Fall League last year.
After a down 2018 season which saw him hit just .223/.317/.325, Lindsay went down to the Arizona Fall League with not just a clean slate but also a new swing. In his first game in Arizona Fall League action, Lindsay would hit two homers, including an opposite field shot. After the game, he would tell William Boor of MiLB.com, “I’ve been working on a new swing, so today was the first day doing it, and I think it’s safe to say I liked it pretty well.”
This new swing generated some excitement Lindsay could have a breakout season in 2019. Unfortunately, Lindsay started the season going 1-f0r-11 over his first four games. Even with the slow start, we knew Lindsay’s swing could work because we saw it work against higher level competition in the Arizona Fall League. Really, it was just a matter of time before he broke out and put a big game together.
That time was last night. In St. Lucie’s 9-8 win over the Tampa Tarpons, Lindsay was 4-for-5 with a run, double, and two RBI. It wasn’t just the fact Lindsay had a four hit game, it was he was a part of key rallies during the game.
In the sixth, he brought St. Lucie to within a run with an RBI single. In a three run seventh where St. Lucie took the lead, Lindsay delivered a two out RBI single increasing St. Lucie’s lead to 5-3. Then, in a game that had suddenly become a slugfest, Lindsay led off the top of the night with a double. He would eventually come home to score a needed insurance run in the win.
Taking into account big nights at the plate like this and Lindsay’s defense, which has been quite good to start the year, you are seeing why the Mets were so high on him when they drafted him almost four years ago. You are also seeing why many believe this could be a big breakout season for him.
