For baseball fans, the most glorious time of the year is almost here. Pennant and wild card races are heading into the home stretch, and the playoffs are only a month away.
One of last year’s fall heroes was Francisco Lindor. The shortstop helped propel the New York Mets to the National League Championship Series, where they lost to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Lindor’s time with the Mets hasn’t been easy. He’s dealt with the pressure of being a highly paid superstar ever since he arrived in a trade in January 2021.
What does it take to survive in that environment? In the latest installment of the MLB Network Presents documentary series, the producers want to give you a better understanding with Behind The Smile: Francisco Lindor.
“He’s an excellent player, but he’s also a fun player,” coordinating producer Jed Tuminaro said. “He’s got a lot of personality, a lot of character, but most importantly, there’s a story there. There’s a real narrative with his journey of where he’s from, what it has taken him to become a superstar, especially to those of us here close to the New York scene. We’ve seen up close for a few years the arc of his story, which has always been compelling to us.”
MLB Network Presents is best known for highlighting events, teams, and players from the past. Lately, they have shifted their focus to active players, such as Freddie Freeman last month.
“It’s more than just baseball, which to us, those are always the best stories,” Tuminaro said. “I think I told you when we did Freddie that if these are solely baseball stories, they’re good enough as-is, but when it goes a little beyond that to the personal side and the human side, that’s what makes these the best ones to tell.”
Behind The Smile includes footage from the offseason and interviews as recent as August. Viewers will hear from current Cincinnati Reds manager and former Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona, who worked with Lindor in Cleveland. Also, Mets owner Steve Cohen, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, and Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns. And, of course, Lindor and his family.
Mets star Francisco Lindor — after hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly — made sure SNY’s Steve Gelbs got the worst of it in the postgame interview. ⚾️🎙️💦 #MLB pic.twitter.com/4H11SGl97L
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 27, 2025
Lindor, 31, is a native of Puerto Rico. He became a four-time All-Star with the Guardians and is a one-time All-Star with the Mets. Fans have seen the success. They might not be as familiar with his entire journey. Lindor was only 12 years old when he left the island for Montverde Academy in Florida, and he spoke little English.
“We went as deep into the story as we could from Francisco’s perspective,” producer Tony Ferraiolo said. “It gets into how hard it was for him to leave Puerto Rico, how hard it was for his family to see him go, and how great it was when they were finally able to be reunited after he was drafted and he had the financial ability to bring them over to live in the United States with him.”
This documentary will be must-see TV for Mets fans who are hoping for a repeat of New York’s autumn magic. However, Ferraiolo said, even the casual baseball fan will want to tune in to learn more about Lindor.
“He’s one of the new-age baseball players who is a lot of fun,” he said. “He’s into pop culture. He’s into fashion. He personifies what the new era of players is. He’s had some moments for a guy that’s in the middle of his career. So if you’re a Mets fan and you want to relive the big moments, that’s great. If you’re just a casual baseball fan, he has the kind of personality that you could probably latch onto a little bit.”
Behind The Smile: Francisco Lindor debuts Sunday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m. ET. It will re-air Labor Day, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m. ET.
About Michael Grant
Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.