Bringing flair to the field: Inside Lindor's groundbreaking third signature cleat
As elite tennis player Coco Gauff wrapped up her media session before the Australian Open last month, she surveyed the room for one final question and was surprised to see a familiar, grinning face.
“Because I’m wearing your shoes,”
“Yeah, for sure,” Gauff responded with a laugh. “I’ll put you at the net because you’ll have the best reactions.”
Lindor, an ardent tennis fan who frequently shows up with his family to support Gauff, arrived bearing not just a question but gifts: A signed Mets jersey and a pair of his third signature sneakers, the new FuelCell Lindor 3, which dropped on NewBalance.com today in both cleat and turf versions.
Lindor’s Down Under delivery was a perfect encapsulation of how New Balance’s belief in him – and vice versa – has paid off for both parties.
“He’s an incredible ambassador,” said Johnny Welch, New Balance’s global baseball project manager. “He is a player that obviously has a signature shoe but brings so much more. He’s always at the forefront of who we are, and just an incredible person.”
When New Balance pitched Lindor to be its flagship baseball athlete in 2017, it represented something of a leap of faith given he’d only played two years in the Majors at the time. In fact, when the brand first broached a signature shoe, Lindor initially resisted since he wasn’t completely sold that he deserved one.
But New Balance had already identified the young shortstop’s potential and wanted to get in on the ground floor. Already an All-Star at 23, Lindor was widely considered to be one of the most exciting and dynamic young players in the sport.
Aside from his talent, they were intrigued by his unique flair. New Balance had historically been known largely for two things: technical running shoes and casual walkers. It was around the time they recruited Lindor that they decided to expand their horizons and change their perception.
Over the next few years, they’d align with the likes of Aimé Leon Dore’s Teddy Santis, Joe Freshgoods and rapper Action Bronson on high-profile collaborations, while Lindor -- whose tastes trend toward the avant-garde -- added some dazzle to their athlete roster. Broadening their focus has paid dividends overall: New Balance has experienced record growth in recent years, while Lindor has been an outstanding standard-bearer for their baseball division, which now also includes fellow superstars Shohei Ohtani and Cal Raleigh.
Lindor takes his association with New Balance seriously, and he isn’t content to simply put his name on a shoe: He wants to put his stamp on it. For example, he loved the laceless pull tab that tightened his second signature cleat, so designer Dan Webb and the NB team didn’t just bring it back -- they doubled down on it.
“This shoe exclusively for the Lindor 3 has two pull tabs, high and low, where that’s how you lace for a customized kind of zonal fit. There’s no actual laces on the shoe. There’s no straps,” Welch said.
“It’s a very different build [for a baseball cleat], and it’s something we had to test and work through to make sure it functions. But that’s what he wants, which is great. He challenges us from a product standpoint with his visions.”
As one might expect, Lindor was also very involved with the aesthetics of the shoe. Webb proposed integrating a “Flower of Life” pattern throughout the upper that connotes the consistency Lindor strives for, and he loved the idea. Lindor also had some suggestions of his own, most notably to add the NLOCK webbing system he’s enjoyed on New Balance’s lifestyle offerings, and extra heel padding around the Achilles area to support his dynamic style of play.
The end result offers both sizzle and steak: The Lindor 3 has the eye-catching colors and bold features of a lifestyle shoe, while maintaining the performance standards both Lindor and New Balance swear by. It’s a perfect counterbalance to the brand’s other signature baseball offering, Ohtani’s SO1, which utilizes the same top-of-the-line FuelCell cushioning foam as the Lindor 3 but has a more classic look.
“I love the suede on the back and the NLOCK,” Lindor told MLB.com. “Those are the elements that make the shoe feel and look vintage, which is something I’ve been gravitating towards. Bringing elements from New Balance’s past into the present is very cool and something I really enjoy and appreciate.”
Just as the Lindor 3 was indeed a true collaborative effort, the Mets star’s relationship with New Balance has developed well beyond footwear.
“We know giving back to his community and youth are important to Francisco,” said Jessica Vassall, New Balance Head of Global Partnerships. “It’s a shared value of the New Balance brand as well.”
As such, a week before Christmas, in conjunction with both New Balance and the Mets, Lindor launched his new year-long Lindor’s Leaders initiative with a visit to Bayside High School in Queens, where he spent time with the school’s sports medicine students to discuss the importance of developing leadership skills and maintaining a healthy mindset.
“It’s amazing to have such a strong partnership with New Balance,” Lindor said. “… I am so blessed and grateful that we are so aligned, and we can come together not only for shoes but for the community.”
With Lindor’s Leaders underway, the Lindor 3 on shelves and a big year for the Mets ahead, the New Balance team has significant plans for its original franchise player. Besides Gauff, Lindor has linked up with fellow brand ambassadors Action Bronson and cricket player Pat Cummins; expect similar collaborations in the future. And as part of New Balance’s international pack, which releases in the U.S. on Feb. 26, there will be a special edition of the V3 with a design based on the coquí frog, native to Lindor’s home country of Puerto Rico.
Obviously Lindor and New Balance have quite a few chapters yet to write, but every time he sees one of his signature shoes in the wild, it reminds him of how their faith in each other has already been rewarded.
“It’s really humbling to see other players and other people using my shoe,” Lindor said. “I feel honored, privileged and blessed to have such a strong partnership with New Balance to make my vision a reality.
“It’s extremely cool, and something I don’t take for granted. I appreciate every single moment.”
