Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker’s journey from travel ball to Mets

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.”

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.

But Winker wasn’t quite finished with his memorable trip around the bases. As he rounded third, Winker pointed at his teammates like a choreographer, telling them to part the way for him as he reached home. The first Met to greet him was Lindor, and then Winker went down the line high-fiving his teammates before finally stomping on the plate. It was the Mets’ first pinch-hit walk-off home run since Amed Rosario did the trick against the Yankees on Aug. 28, 2020.

“I was happy for him and I know he wanted it,” Lindor said. “He is a player that wants to be successful and help his team. I was pumped for him for sure.”

Now, Lindor and Winker are in the National League Championship Series, playing against the Dodgers. Entering Game 6 on Sunday, New York is down 3-2. To advance to the World Series, the Mets have to win the final two games at Dodger Stadium.

“It’s amazing to be there with a familiar face. He grinds just as much as I do,” Lindor said.

“That’s why you play baseball,” Winker added. “This is every kid’s dream. You want to play meaningful baseball and you want to be part of something that is bigger than yourself.”