CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Francisco Lindor has played just over a month of games in the big leagues since he arrived at Comerica Park on a Sunday morning in June.
He has shown speed on the bases, range at shortstop and the slow-burn competitiveness necessary for the long season. The rookie switch-hitter is defending himself in the No.2 spot in the lineup and has brought energy and stability to the left side of the infield along with fellow rookie, third baseman Giovanny Urshela.
There is something else Lindor has done. He's proven GM Chris Antonetti was right. When the media and fans called for Lindor's promotion from Class AAA Columbus early in the season, Antonetti said that he needed more development at Triple-A.
The media, including myself, said the Indians were stalling to control Lindor's service time so he wouldn't be eligible for arbitration before he played three full years in the big leagues. That still played a role, but not as much as some originally thought.
Shortstop is a difficult position to play. There are many details to learn - footwork, shifts, angles, relays, positioning and the speed of the opposing players. Ideally, the Indians would have liked to keep Lindor at Columbus longer, perhaps until after the All-Star break or even until September.
The struggles of starter Jose Ramirez made that impossible so Lindor was promoted after only 58 games with the Clippers. What we've seen since his big league debut is the promise and problems of a talented 21-year-old playing the toughest position on the diamond against the best players in the world.
On Tuesday night at Miller Park, the Brewers had the bases loaded in the seventh inning. They had a 4-1 lead with no one out. Ryan Webb induced catcher Jonathan Lucroy to send a grounder to short. Lindor made a strong throw home to start a 6-2-3 double play.
Webb was almost out of the inning and the Indians were still in the game when Ryan Braun sent another grounder to Lindor. He stayed back on the ball and bounced his throw to first for an error. The Brewers scored three more runs on the way to a 8-1 victory.
"I didn't move my feet," said Lindor after the game.
On Wednesday, Lindor showed why the Indians value him so much. He homered in the first inning, singled in the third and walked in the fifth in a 7-5 victory. Defensively, he put the error behind him and played a solid game.
In Thursday's 8-1 loss to the White Sox at Progressive Field, Lindor once again failed to charge a ball. He fielded a grounder by Avisail Garcia near the outfield grass and made a late throw to first. Garcia's speed surprised Lindor and he was credited with a single.
Then there was manager Terry Francona calling out Lindor for not running hard on a fly ball in the seventh inning against the Reds on July 18th at Great American Ball Park.
Seldom does a player arrive at the big leagues polished in all phases of the game. Each player matures at his own pace.
What the Indians have done with Lindor and Urshela is give them a large chunk of the season to show what they can do. In the meantime, they've tried to stay as competitive as possible. The benefits of that plan might not be clear until next season, but there certainly will be indications when this year ends.