With father’s guidance, Lindor among all-time great Puerto Ricans
By Tab Bamford
With his 30th home run of the 2019 season Francisco Lindor joined an exclusive fraternity in major league history.
Lindor, 25, became only the fifth player born in Puerto Rico to have 30 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. On that list, only Lindor and Carlos Beltrán reached the two markers in the same season more than once.
- Iván Rodríguez – 1999 – 35 home runs, 25 stolen strongases
- José Cruz, Jr. – 2001 – 34 home runs, 32 stolen strongases
- Carlos Beltrán – 2004 – 38 home runs, 42 stolen strongases
- Carlos Beltrán – 2007 – 33 home runs, 23 stolen strongases
- Francisco Lindor – 2018 – 38 home runs, 25 stolen strongases
- Javier Báez – 2018 – 34 home runs, 21 stolen strongases
- Francisco Lindor – 2019 – 31 home runs, 21 stolen strongases
“Mr. Smile” also joined Ruben Sierra and Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar and “Pudge” Rodríguez as the only Puerto Rican-born players to exceed 1,400 total bases through his age-25 season.
Click on the video to learn how his father helped Lindor become the superstar he is today.