NEW YORK — Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Jesse Winker are more than teammates trying to advance to the World Series. They have also been friends dating back to their high school days in Orlando, Fla. They were 15 years old when they played for Team Mizuno on the travel ball circuit.
“Everybody was trying to assemble the best team that they could. For us, we always looked at it like we were trying to win,” Winker said.
Talk to Winker about Lindor and vice versa, and it appears little has changed since they started playing Major League Baseball. Winker remembers Lindor being the best player on the travel ball team, just like he is on the Mets; in the regular season, Lindor led New York in bWAR (7.0) and had a slash line of .273/.344/.500.
“He has been the best player on the field even since we were kids. He still is to this day,” Winker said about Lindor. “We are in our 30s and he is still the best player on the field, which is cool. That is a testament to who he is — the work that he does year in and year out.
baseball bond dates back 15 years
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Lindor and Winker’s baseball bond dates back 15 years
October 19th, 2024
Bill Ladson
Bill Ladson
@ladsonbill24
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NEW YORK — Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Jesse Winker are more than teammates trying to advance to the World Series. They have also been friends dating back to their high school days in Orlando, Fla. They were 15 years old when they played for Team Mizuno on the travel ball circuit.
“Everybody was trying to assemble the best team that they could. For us, we always looked at it like we were trying to win,” Winker said.
Talk to Winker about Lindor and vice versa, and it appears little has changed since they started playing Major League Baseball. Winker remembers Lindor being the best player on the travel ball team, just like he is on the Mets; in the regular season, Lindor led New York in bWAR (7.0) and had a slash line of .273/.344/.500.
“He has been the best player on the field even since we were kids. He still is to this day,” Winker said about Lindor. “We are in our 30s and he is still the best player on the field, which is cool. That is a testament to who he is — the work that he does year in and year out.”
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According to Lindor, Winker is still the zany character who loves to swing the bat and slams his helmet whenever he is successful in the batter’s box. As Winker puts it, he was “mad emotional” back in the day.
“He always talked a lot,” Lindor said about Winker. “He was always crazy, he was always outgoing, he could always hit, he was always funny. He hasn’t changed much. He would always walk around with his bat. He always knew he was going to be a hitter. He could hit anybody.
On Aug. 21 against the Orioles, Winker showed how good he was with the stick. Right-hander Seranthony Domínguez was on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning with the game tied at 3. The count was 3-2, when Winker clubbed a home run over the center-field fence. Winker paused in front of the home dugout and let out a roar, slamming his helmet to the ground before shedding his elbow guard at first base.
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