Cleveland Indians: Who is the Regular Season MVP?

At the age of 22, Francisco Lindor has emerged as a franchise shortstop for the Indians. And his dominance is only getting started.

Lindor played in 158 of the Indians’ 161 games this season, joining Carlos Santana as the team’s leader in games played. He did hit a slump at the end of the season, but that may be because of fatigue more than any fundamental problems. Hopefully the rest before Thursday will help him get back to his successful ways.

Lindor finished the season with a .301 batting average and 182 hits, leading the team in the latter category. He also finished with a 3.9 WAR, just .1 behind Jose Ramirez.

In addition to his success at the plate, Lindor is one of the better shortstops in the league. It was good enough to see him honored with an All-Star Game appearance, as the duo he has formed with Jason Kipnis is one of the most sure-handed in baseball.

Lindor has been so great in 2016 that it almost seems like a shock whenever an error is made, or he goes into a slump. He has the Mike Trout effect, where his success is almost taken for granted because of how great he is every day.

The true test will be how he performs in the postseason, but no matter how he does, his 2016 regular season performance was one that may only be the beginning for a young player who can be one of the best players on the Indians for years to come.