Francisco Alvarez/Photo by Allen Greene Photography
The New York Mets were obviously high on Francisco Alvarez when they gave him the largest signing bonus to an international free agent in team history. If the bonus wasn’t enough of a sign the team was high on him, the Mets would be very aggressive with him having him starting his career stateside and getting called up to the Appalachian League after just seven games.
In 35 games with Kingsport, Alvarez would hit .282/.377/.443 with six doubles, five homers, and 16 RBI. He would also throw out 29 percent of attempted base stealers. With his skill set and this strong season, Alvarez would be named by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Appalachian League.
During the season, Alvarez showed “extremely strong hands and forearms, with an advanced swing, solid barrel control and impressive usage of the opposite field with impact.” In addition to his advanced offensive approach, Alvarez impressed behind the plate notably handling Kingsport’s staff well and showing the “tools to be an above-average defender with continued refinement.”
The biggest sign Alvarez is an impressive prospect with tools well beyond his years was how opposing managers spoke about him. In Baseball America’s article, they cited another Appalachian League manager who was “shocked” when finding out Alvarez was only 17.
As surprising as Alvarez’s season was, it may be more surprising to see him ranked ahead of first round draft pick Brett Baty. While Alvarez was ranked higher, it was not much higher with Baty being ranked as the second best prospect in the league.
Baty hit .222/.339/.437 in 42 games with 12 doubles, two triples, six homers, and 22 RBI before getting called up to Brooklyn to help them win their first outright New York-Penn League title. Overall, Baty would show the “ability to hit with authority to the opposite field and with his defensive work at third, citing a strong, accurate arm and reliable hands.”
Jaylen Palmer was the tenth ranked prospect in the league. During the season, Palmer showed his raw but considerable tools, and as a result, he was “routinely brought up by managers.” The reason he is brought up due to his instincts on the left side of the infield as well as “what’s already an exciting, power-oriented offensive game.” Overall, an Appalachian League manager would say Palmer is “just now tapping into who he could be.”
In addition to the three position player prospects, RHP Junior Santos would crack the rankings at 12. The 17 year old Santos was 3.7 years younger than league average, which could partially explain his going 0-5 with a 5.09 ERA, 1.746 WHIP, 5.5 BB/9, and an 8.0 K/9. Even through those numbers, he impressed. Baseball America noted Santos’ “physicality and fastball velocity are the two biggest tools he possesses, with a heater that reaches the 94-95 mph range and should continue to improve as he develops.”
And we should expect him to continue to develop as he has been noted to have an impressive work ethic. When you have a strong work ethic, you can trust a player is going to get the most out of his talent, which is going to give him every chance to advance through the Mets farm system.
Overall, the Mets had the top two prospects in the Appalachian League and four of the top 12. This is evidence of how there is real talent in the lower levels of the Mets farm system, and with that comes real hope for the future.
