New Balance has tapped Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor to be the new face of its baseball cleat business.
Terms of the multiyear endorsement deal were not disclosed.
"He's a special player of great character," said Ray Hilvert, New Balance's vice president of sports marketing. "His trajectory within the game has been tremendous, and his future holds a lot of promise. As we look to expand our baseball business into Korea and Japan, and other areas around the globe, he will be a global ambassador for us."
On Buster Olney's podcast on Feb. 22, commissioner Rob Manfred even mentioned Lindor when responding to a question about the need to promote stars. "We have great raw material right now," Manfred said. "The Kris Bryants, the Mookie Bettses, the Francisco Lindors, and we need to capitalize on that great raw material."
Lindor, 23, who is entering his third year in the majors, having played a key role in guiding the Indians to the World Series, told ESPN that the shoe company's vote of confidence in him is "an honor," and the decision to go with the company was confirmed by meeting with the entire team of designers and executives.
"The fit is perfect for me," Lindor said. "I can wear them right out of the box." Unlike some players, who like to wear a fresh pair of cleats each game, Lindor says he won't change cleats if he's doing well. Thanks to his All-Star season, which ended with a .301 batting average and a Gold Glove, he estimates he only changed cleats eight times last season.
It was just seven years ago that New Balance, the privately owned running shoe brand, committed considerable resources to baseball, believing it could win business in cleats. Today, New Balance is the best-selling premium-cleat baseball brand across sporting-good retailers in the number of shoes sold and in total sales, according to the NPD Group.
But continuing to sign the latest and greatest is important, as Hilvert acknowledges the intense competition in the space. Youth tends to be the theme. Mike Trout has had three Nike signature cleats produced by the age of 25. Bryce Harper, who is 24, got his first signature cleat from Under Armour this year. Adidas signed Kris Bryant to the largest shoe deal in baseball history before he won NL Rookie of the Year in 2015, and they also signed Carlos Correa after he won AL Rookie of the Year that same year.
Other high-profile wearers of New Balance cleats include Jose Altuve, Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia and Yoenis Cespedes.