Francisco Lindor Named Finalist for Local Award

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor had a tremendous season in 2016, and is considered one of the top professional athletes in Cleveland.

Francisco Lindor has made himself the face of the Cleveland Indians after just one full season on the team, and his efforts are being noticed both locally and nationally.

Lindor’s Gold Glove award in 2016 showed just how respected he is across the league, while another award he is up for shows how respected he is here in Cleveland.

Lindor is a finalist for the Professional Athlete of the Year award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, which take place this Thursday. The other finalists are LeBron James, Stipe Miocic, and Joe Thomas.

The young shortstop may not win the award, as James appears to be the favorite due to helping bring a title back to Cleveland, but he certainly belongs among this group of athletes.

Picking a representative from the Indians was more difficult than it has been in the past, as so many players performed so well in 2016, but Lindor was an easy choice. An All-Star season in which he won a Gold Glove award and finished ninth in AL MVP voting seems to be only the start of the greatness yet to come.

He is not yet at the level of James, Miocic, or Thomas, but it won’t be long before Lindor’s name is considered one of the best in Indians history. The fact he is only 23 years old is shocking when it comes to just how much room he has to improve upon what would have been a career year for many.

So while Lindor may not win this specific award this year, he will surely be a consistent finalist for it for years to come. And when he does lead the Indians to a World Series title, it will be hard not to shower him with awards and honors as he will have earned them all.