For more than two weeks, the group of early arriving Mets has included Francisco Lindor.
Always Lindor, frequently Ronny Mauricio, often Francisco Alvarez and sometimes Starling Marte — really a revolving door of hitters around Lindor — have stepped foot on the field more than four hours before first pitch for an extra round of batting practice. Co-hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez often are around the cage during the sessions.
There are single-digit spectators in the ballpark watching the group as they take part in what Barnes called “focus work” — an early edition of batting practice when they can take more time, have the field to themselves and not have to worry about media obligations or signing autographs for fans just yet. They make sure the preparation they wanted to achieve before the game can be achieved even before a more regularly scheduled, on-field batting practice a few hours later.
The midseason routine has stood out, unique in a sport in which the workload typically eases up over the course of a long season to ensure bodies can withstand the rigors of 162 games.
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