Teams Played For: GCL Mets/Kingsport Mets
Age: 17 (November 19, 2001)
Traditional Stats: 42 GB, 157 AB, 10 2B, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 32 R, 21 BB, . 263/.330/.514, .844 OPS
Advanced Stats: .391 wOBA, 143 wRC+

My oh my, what a year Francisco Alvarez had.

In 2018, the Mets signed the 17-year-old backstop out of Venezuela with the expectation that he’d need plenty of time to develop. At the time of his signing, scouts estimated that we wouldn’t see Alvarez in the Majors until 2024 at the earliest. However, with his first professional campaign in the books, it’s clear the Mets have a really special talent on their hands.

Alvarez was part of a strong 2018 international class that netted the Mets three other highly-ranked prospects: Freddy Valdez, William Lugo, and Stanley Consuegra. Alvarez received $2.7 million dollars, the Mets’ largest-ever signing bonus to an international free agent, breaking Ronny Mauricio‘s previous record of $2.1 million dollars.

He kicked off his pro career in style (after skipping DSL altogether), hitting .462/.548/.846 (281 wRC+) in nine games with the GCL Mets before receiving a promotion to the Kingsport Mets. Even though he was the youngest one on the team and 3.4 years younger than the average player, he was arguably the most productive one on the team; his slash line at the end of the season read .282/.377/.443 (129 wRC+). He ranked in the top three on the team in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, BB/K, wOBA and wRC+.

While he struck out 21.3% of the time with Kingsport, he still showed above-average plate discipline numbers (11.3 BB%). He also had a 16-game hitting streak.

The Venezuela-native nabbed plenty of accolades in his first professional season. Baseball America named him the top prospect in the Appalachian League, noting that his bat control and plate discipline could eventually make him a first-division regular. While naming their Rookie League team All-Stars, BA also named him as the top backstop. One scout even dubbed him as the best player in the Mets’ farm system.

Projection

Baseball America raved about Alvarez in their report, noting that he “generates big raw power with an aggressive hack” and “has a short and compact swing which allows him to spray the ball to all parts of the field.  They also noted his “tremendous opposite-field power and strong bat-to-ball skills.” He used a quick toe-tap at the beginning of the season to generate his power, but towards the end of his season, he moved to get rid of it.

I love how well Francisco Alvarez keeps his hands back and explodes off his back foot. Impressive power from the 17-year-old. #Mets (Via Instagram) pic.twitter.com/1B1NYCO7bh

— Jacob Resnick (@Jacob_Resnick) July 18, 2019

BA also currently has Alvarez ranked as their No. 98 prospect in baseball.

Alvarez is unique in the fact that he’s close to maxed out physically even though he’s only 17. That makes his skillset fairly advanced for someone his age, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to grow more into his body in order to develop additional power.

And it wasn’t just his offensive skill set that was on display. He nabbed 28% of baserunners that were trying to steal against him in 2019 and was commended for his impressive handling of Kingsport’s staff, with opponent coaches shocked at the 17-year-old’s stellar receiving.

Despite his improvements behind the plate during his first professional season, it’s evident that defense will be his main priority going forward. With his stocky build, it’s difficult for him to move laterally chasing balls behind the dish and his framing needs some work. That being said, he’s adequate at blocking balls in the dirt and his solid athleticism only points to better defense in the future.

What makes his production so unique is the fact that he is an offensive-minded catcher. Among all Mets catching farmhands, his 155 wRC+ and .420 wOBA was first by a wide margin. While he does have time for his defense to catch up to his offense, the Mets could also move him to a different position to expedite his path to the Major Leagues.

John Calvagno NewsFromTheSally also mentioned his clear joy for the game, writing down that he saw Alvarez bounce out of the dugout to congratulate teammates throughout his game. Even with his boyish attitude, he’s been described as “an intense competitor” in-game.

It’s virtually unheard for a 17-year-old get off to this fast of a start; He’ll be 18 for the entirety of the 2020 season. He popped up on the latter half of Baseball America’s top 100 list at the end of the season and should appear on other outlets’ rankings in 2020.

With the aggressive timeline that the Mets have imposed on their teenage prospects in the last few years (Ronny Mauricio, Andres Gimenez), it wouldn’t be shocking to see him in full-season ball as soon as 2020. With Alvarez playing the 2020 campaign at the ripe age of 18, he could quickly emerge as one of the promising position players in all of the minor leagues.

Others to Note

Kenedy Corona (GCL/ Kingsport/Brooklyn) : .301/.398/.470, 14 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBIs, 146 wRC+, .413 wOBA,

Corona, who was signed in the same class as Alvarez, came out of nowhere to lead all Mets farmhands in wOBA and wRC+. Playing all three outfield positions and showcasing an outstanding eye at the plate, he rose through three levels in 2019. He placed third in the Appalachian League in runs with 35 and first in the league with 73 total bases.

Scott Ota (Kingsport): .273/.355/.519, 14 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 26 RBIs, 133 wRC+, .384 wOBA,

Ota was drafted in the tenth round of the 2019 Rule IV draft. His draft report mentioned his lighting-tower power as his calling card and he lived up to that report in his debut season. His slugging percentage, doubles, and his .246 ISO ranked first on the team while his seven dingers placed him second.

Jose Peroza (GCL/Brooklyn): . 263/.330/.514, 10 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 42 RBI, .391 wOBA, 143 wRC+

No one expected Peroza to have the type of season he had in 2019. He didn’t produce much in 2018 and was in danger of being released, but came out of nowhere to hit the fourth-most home runs in the Gulf Coast League. The 19-year-old third baseman didn’t walk much but made up for it with a .515 wOBA in 16 Rookie-League games and a .318 wOBA in 33 NYPL contests.