New York Mets Have 2 Finalists For Distinguished Awards

The New York Mets have two finalists for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Awards. Shortstop Francisco Lindor is a finalist for the National League MVP and Manager Carlos Mendoza is a finalist for the National League Manager of the Year. The Manager of the Year Award will be announced on Tuesday, November 19 while the NL MVP will be named on Thursday, November 21.

The dynamic duo of Lindor and Mendoza helped the New York Mets be one of the league’s hottest teams over the final four months of the regular season and shock the baseball world by advancing to the NLCS. New York was bested in six games by the Los Angeles Dodgers as their fairytale season ended. How many of these awards will members of the New York Mets walk away with next week?

New York Mets’ Offense Powered By Francisco Lindor

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Lindor was one of the best players in the league in 2024 and is the prohibitive favorite to be named a Silver Slugger later tonight. Lindor is a finalist for this award alongside Los Angeles Dodgers Designated Hitter Shohei Ohtani and Arizona Diamondbacks Second Baseman Ketel Marte. This has been a benchmark season for Lindor as he is poised for the first top-three MVP finish of his career. 

Before this season, Lindor’s best MVP finish was in 2018 when he finished sixth as a member of the Cleveland Guardians. Lindor was 20th in the National League in batting average, sixth in home runs, and 13th in RBI during the regular season. He was also top-10 in Slugging Percentage and OPS in addition to being third in WAR(Wins Above Replacement). Even though Lindor was one of the best players in the National League this year, he has virtually no chance to be named the 2024 National League MVP. Ohtani put together one of the best seasons in Major League Baseball history and will win his third MVP award next week.

Carlos Mendoza Impressed In Flushing

Mendoza’s first few months as New York Mets manager got off to a rough start, but he was able to steady the ship and help guide New York on a deep playoff run. Mendoza is one of the finalists to be the National League Manager of the Year alongside Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy and San Diego Padres Skipper Mike Shildt. Mendoza was successful against both of these managers this year. New York struggled against the Milwaukee Brewers in the regular season but defeated them in the National League Wild Card Round. 

The New York Mets also experienced a degree of success against the San Diego Padres as they went 5-2 against them in 2024. Winning the award in his year on the job is not unprecedented. It happened last year when Miami Marlins Manager Skip Schumaker won the award in his first season with the ballclub. Much like Lindor, Mendoza is not presumed to win the prize. Murphy is the favorite to win this award. Murphy previously managed the Seattle Mariners in 2015, but 2024 was his first year as the leader of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Final Thoughts

The New York Mets had their strong 2024 season capped off by having two finalists for the league’s prestigious awards. Even though the odds are high that both Mendoza and Lindor will leave the awards shows empty-handed, they still had great seasons. New York will look to build upon a stellar 2024 and will have a better chance of doing so with Lindor and Mendoza leading the team for 2025 and beyond. New York is one of the favorites to win the 2025 World Series.