Does intent matter, or do results? This is a key question this early in the season because it can be the difference between identifying a real pattern emerging before anyone else does, or just a random stretch. If a batter starts hitting more flyballs, say, is it safe to assume that is his intention? Does it even matter whether he means to or not?

In the long run, you have to assume a batter's results and what he intends to do will match up, but that gets a lot trickier this early on. Some hitters only have around 40-50 batted balls to their name so far, which means an extra flyball or two hear can cause a pretty big shift in numbers that usually take months to stabilize.

Still, some early trends are too notable to ignore. Hitters across the major leagues are buying into the idea that elevating the ball is the best way to increase offensive production, and no hitter has seen an increase in his flyball rate in the early going than Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor. He hit 28.4 percent of his batted balls in the air in 2016, placing him in the 17th percentile among qualified batters; he is at 52.5 percent entering play Monday, putting him in the 96th percentile.

Plenty of players have talked about trying to lift the ball, chief among them Daniel Murphy and Josh Donaldson, the flyball revolution's chief proselytizers. Lindor told Cleveland.com earlier in the season in no uncertain terms that hitting flyballs is not his goal:

If I hit the ball up in the air, the chances of them catching it are a lot higher. I'm just trying to hit line drives, find my space and try to hit it there. I'm not trying to hit it in the air. Most of the time, if I hit it in the air, it's going to be an out. I'm not a power hitter. I'm not going to be a power hitter. It's not going to happen.

Coming into the season, Lindor was right about his results on flyballs. He hit just .241 as a rookie on flyballs, per FanGraphs.com, and was at just .216 in 2016. He was much more likely to get a hit on either line drives (obviously) or groundballs, though he was obviously trading power with the latter.

This season, that hasn't been the case, as Lindor has found success putting the ball in the air, hitting .355 on such batted balls. However, it is worth noting that he still sported a .987 OPS as a rookie on flyballs, and an .803 mark last season, thanks to the power he generated. Lindor has upped his average batted ball exit velocity from around 89 MPH in his first two seasons to 91.7 so in the early going so far, which could explain his additional success on these balls.

However, we still have to keep in mind that Lindor isn't trying to do this, by his own words. The results are one thing, but if Lindor isn't actively trying to hit flyballs, can we really buy that these improvements will sustain? Not necessarily, but it does seem like, beyond just his approach, Lindor is improving his game yet again. That has been the one constant for him, as he entered the majors as a more significant contributor with the bat than nearly anyone expected. And, what he did tell The Athletic Cleveland is that more homers can be the result of an improved approach, even if he isn't trying to lift the ball every time: 

In the early going, Lindor has cut his swing rate, as pitchers have offered him fewer pitches in the zone -- down from 49.8 percent to 45.1, per PITCHf/x data. He has cut his swinging strike rate as a result, a good sign, especially in conjunction with his increase in both exit velocity and hard-hit rate. Lindor is being more selective, and enjoying better results on balls in play, which is exactly what you want to see from a young hitter, even if it has come with an increase in strikeout rate. 

So, maybe Lindor isn't at the vanguard of the flyball revolution. Nobody expects him to sustain his current homer pace, and he doesn't have to do so to continue to be one of the best young shortstops in the game. He is making apparent improvements to his game, even beyond the flyballs, and that's what we should take away from his early success. Even if, or when, the power slows down, he continues to do enough right that it's hard to view him as a sell-high candidate anymore.

Two-plus years into his career, it's just time to call Lindor what he is: a good hitter. And one who once again is improving.