Francisco Lindor is finally silencing the critics and doing it early. Known for his rather slow April, the New York Mets shortstop is doing everything to flip the script this season. He has been lights out with five home runs, batting over .300, and also smashed his 20th career multi-homer game against the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s the kind of start that Mets fans have been dreaming about.

But this turnaround didn’t happen overnight, and it sure didn’t happen by chance. It happened with a rather uncomfortable conversation that had to be had.

So, last October, Lindor and the Mets’ hitting coach, Eric Chavez, sat down to talk about the season that passed. Lindor had put in a season that was MVP-worthy. But Chavez was not there to blow his horn and talk about the highlights. He wanted to talk about the uncomfortable first. He wanted to talk about April.

Lindor, recalling the incident, told Fox Sports, “We were talking about my season, and he said that, at one point in the year, it was like I was a no-show — like I wasn’t there. And that hit home for me.” And this is the mark of what makes a player go from good to great—the want to learn. And no, Lindor didn’t get defensive or take it to heart.

He mentioned that it reminded him of his early days back in Cleveland. His veteran teammates didn’t hold back from spelling out the entire truth to him. Lindor says that honesty is rare to see, and now that he got the picture from Chavez, he knows that was what he needed. And look where Lindor is now! Francisco Lindor is showing up in every way and leading with power and playing with confidence. He finally looks like the star that the New York Mets invested so much in.

Even Chavez sees this and said, “Good players can get hot. Great players give you quality at-bats all season.” Lindor is now leaning into that greatness, not for himself but to carry the team forward. “I’m not just going to talk for the sake of it. If I talk, I mean it.” And yes, so far, he is letting his bat do plenty of the talking. But while he is heating up, the same can’t be said about Soto, and he isn’t happy.

Juan Soto is not happy with his New York Mets performance

Juan Soto is still chasing to get into his full rhythm and groove. But it’s not like he doesn’t make his presence felt in Citi Field. In a game tied against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, Solo delivered one of the best plays of the afternoon. He rifled a throw from a slow right field to down Nick Castellanos on the plate at the end of the inning. The crowd just erupted, and of course, Soto had that grin that wouldn’t wipe off his face.

It’s the kind of moment that reminds everyone why the New York Mets handed him a $756 million contract in the first place. For sure, the home runs haven’t come in dozens yet. But Soto is still finding ways to impact the game as much as he can. Earlier this week, Soto had said to NJ Advance Media, “I’m still not at the point where I want to be. But I’ve been feeling better little by little every day.” And yes, that confidence has started to show. From driving in runs over the weekend to making game-saving plays, he is proving that one doesn’t need to be 100% to make an impact. However, he knows he has to do better.

“I can do better than what I’ve done so far,” Soto said. And who can argue with that? Soto is the one who created chaos for the rest of the clubs last season. He took the Yankees to the World Series, a place they haven’t been since 2009. He is worthy!

For now, Lindor has found his rhythm, and even Soto can. Don’t you think? When do you think the time will be when he will be red-hot? Let us know in the comments.