Francisco Lindor has seen plenty of talented shortstops in his day. The New York Mets star knows exactly how special Elly De La Cruz is for the Cincinnati Reds, but when Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell suggested that the 22-year-old phenom was his baseball twin, Lindor couldn’t help but crack a smile.
The conversation happened on Lindor’s podcast Café con Lindor. Mitchell, a four-time NBA All-Star with deep baseball roots, insisted that De La Cruz embodied the kind of athleticism he sees in himself. Lindor’s response was as quick as his glove at short: “You’re not switch-hitting. I don’t think you can throw 100 [mph].”
Mitchell laughed it off, admitting that he’s not touching De La Cruz’s cannon for an arm “right now,” but claimed he once hit 90 mph in high school and could get back there with time. Baseball isn’t a foreign language to him, either – his father, Donovan Sr., played in the minors and now works in the Mets’ front office. Growing up, Mitchell spent summers in and around the Mets clubhouse.
Lindor offers a different comp
While Mitchell doubled down on his De La Cruz comparison, Lindor countered with a name he felt made a lot more sense: Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. “You hit lefty, throw righty. That’s unique. You can move, you can jump, you’re explosive,” Lindor explained. “But I like CJ Abrams… that’s like 25 home runs, 30-40 bags, good elite shortstop.”
Abrams checks more boxes than De La Cruz when it comes to matching Mitchell. The 23-year-old is 6-foot-2, nearly identical in size to the Cavaliers guard. His skillset – speed, quick-twitch athleticism, and lefty bat – also lines up with what Lindor sees in Mitchell. De La Cruz, meanwhile, is taller, faster, and already one of the most electrifying players in baseball.
De La Cruz has become a nightly highlight for Cincinnati, from triple-digit throws across the diamond to sprint speeds that Statcast clocked as the fastest in MLB last season(The Athletic). His ceiling feels boundless, which makes Mitchell’s confidence fun but, in Lindor’s eyes, a little ambitious.
That didn’t stop Mitchell from leaning into the debate. The Cavs guard has always shown love for baseball, even recently celebrating Juan Soto’s record-breaking $765 million contract with the Mets. On the podcast, Mitchell even joked he had a hand in Soto choosing Queens.
For Lindor, the whole exchange was less about shutting Mitchell down and more about giving credit where it’s due. Abrams may not yet have De La Cruz’s viral highlights, but he’s developing into a five-tool cornerstone for Washington. To Lindor, that’s the comp that actually sticks.
Mitchell seemed fine with the playful nudge, and fans got a crossover moment where two stars from different sports went back and forth over who belongs in the same sentence as baseball’s brightest young talents. Lindor may not see Mitchell as Elly De La Cruz’s twin, but he clearly sees him as someone who’d fit right in on a diamond – at least in theory.
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