MONTVERDE, Fla. ¨C Pitching to second- and third-grade students at a Play Ball event in suburban Orlando on Thursday, Mets superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor playfully asked to see 8-year-old Maddie¡¯s swing to gauge what he was up against.

After seeing the Montverde Academy student¡¯s impressive cut with a toy bat, Lindor jokingly took two large steps backward before flashing the engaging and electric smile that once made him known as ¡°Mr. Smile¡± at this same school. Lindor¡¯s ability to entertain, connect with and coax smiles out of the children had attendees at the event in awe of his engaging and humble persona.

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¡°Francisco is the kind of person that everyone hopes for when you work at a school like ours,¡± said Montverde Academy head of school Jon Hopman, whose international college preparatory school boasts Lindor, Mariners Minor Leaguer Caleb Cali, NBA stars Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and D¡¯Angelo Russell and pro soccer players Philip Mayaka and Benji Michel as some of its famous alumni.

¡°We¡¯re a school that has had a lot of notable athletes from all over the world, but Francisco has chosen to make Montverde and Central Florida his home base. He has family who work at the school still, and this is his place. We¡¯ve gotten used to seeing him on our campus and working with students, either at the Middle School that¡¯s named after him or at the baseball field where he¡¯s always giving back to our players. He¡¯s everything you would ever hope for from a graduate of this school and we couldn¡¯t be prouder of him.¡±

Lindor, who helped spur the Mets to a surprising postseason run to the NLCS this past season, looked like a natural while working with the 100 children at Thursday¡¯s event. The Play Ball session was hosted in collaboration with Gatorade, which secured Lindor¡¯s surprise appearance.

At times, it was difficult to tell who ¨C Lindor or the students ¨C was having more fun.

Not so long ago, Lindor was a 12-year-old who had moved from his native Puerto Rico to Montverde Academy, and he spoke little English. He got to where he is now ¨C arguably MLB¡¯s best all-around shortstop -- because of the people who invested in him, he said. By co-hosting Tuesday¡¯s event along with Major League Baseball, Lindor was able to provide an afternoon of fun to what he calls, ¡°our next generation.¡±

¡°This is home for me; I¡¯ve been blessed to have two homes ¨C here and Puerto Rico ¨C and I¡¯m always around here trying to help the kids,¡± said Lindor, whose 33 home runs in 2024 were the second most among all MLB shortstops. ¡°I¡¯m always trying to help the next generation because they are the future. So many people here helped me become who I am; that¡¯s why I always want to give back and pass along the knowledge given to me.¡±

Lindor, 31, is eager to pass along the knowledge he has gotten about playing for the Mets to superstar slugger Juan Soto, who recently signed a 15-year, $765 million contract. Lindor, who is three years into a 10-year, $341 million contract extension signed with the Mets, is eager to talk hitting with Soto while also forming one of baseball¡¯s best one-two punches.

¡°I was so excited when I heard about it and I¡¯m really excited about what the future is going to bring,¡± Lindor said. ¡°I¡¯ve got seven more years, so I will be with him for a little while. I can¡¯t wait to play with him.¡±

Lindor is also hopeful that slugging first baseman Pete Alonso ¨C his teammate from the past four years ¨C will re-sign with the Mets to make the lineup even more potent.

¡°Pete should maximize this moment because he¡¯s worked so hard,¡± Lindor said. ¡°He¡¯s going to have to make this decision himself as to where he wants to go. At the end of the day, he should do what¡¯s best for him and his family ¨C whether that¡¯s with the Mets or somebody else. He¡¯s a fantastic player and person and if we have him back on our team, it would be amazing. If not, he¡¯ll still go and do great things.¡±

Lindor did great things at Thursday¡¯s event by smiling all afternoon while working with the children not far from the Middle School that boasts his name.

¡°I¡¯ve always been a happy kid, thank God, and gotten myself into happy places and found happiness in everything that I do,¡± Lindor said of his smile. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a lot of negativity and bad things that happen, but I just try to stay on the positive side of things and keep a smile on my face. I just want to continue to be the best version of myself.¡±