Francisco Lindor, the Cleveland Indians’ first round pick in the 2011 draft and now a two-time MLB All-Star and the face of the franchise, is born in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
After working his way through the minor league system, Lindor made his Major League debut on June 14, 2015, getting a hit in two at bats in Detroit against the Tigers. In 99 games, he hit .313 with 22 doubles, four triples, 12 homers, 51 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and 50 runs scored. His strong showing gave him a second place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. He was named the AL Rookie of the Month for the month of September, edging out teammate Cody Anderson.
During his time in the minors with the Indians, he was named a Mid-Season All-Star, a MILB.com Organizational All-Star, and was selected to the MLB Futures Game in three straight seasons from 2012 to 2014 and twice was recognized as a Post-Season All-Star. In five seasons in the minors dating back to 2011, he hit a combined .279 with 21 homers, 73 doubles, 19 triples, and 162 RBI in 416 games.
He appeared in 158 games for the Indians in his first full season at the Major League level in 2016, hitting .301 with 30 doubles, 15 homers, 78 RBI, 19 stolen bases, and 99 runs scored while making his first All-Star team and being named an American League Gold Glove and Platinum Glove winner. He followed that up with a second straight trip to the Midsummer Classic while slashing .273/.337/.505 with 44 doubles, four triples, 33 homers, and 89 RBI while winning his first career Silver Slugger Award.