Just like that, it appears as if Francisco Álvarez is getting accustomed to Triple-A pitching. As a result, we’re starting to see him hit for power again.
Álvarez came up in the bottom of the ninth with the scored tied 3-3. On an 0-2 pitch from Omaha Storm Chasers reliever Colten Brewer, Álvarez hit a walk-off two run homer:
The homer was Álvarez’s second homer with Syracuse since his call-up. Coincidentally, it was his first homer since he was officially named the top prospect in baseball.
Since struggling in his first eight games, he’s began hitting. Over his past five games, Álvarez has gone 4-for-18 with two doubles, two homers, six walks, and seven RBI.
He’s now reached safely in seven straight games. This game marks the fifth time in 13 Triple-A games where Álvarez has drawn multiple walks.
These are signs of definitive progress with Álvarez. He’s had a good command of the strike zone, and even with the early struggles he’s finding ways on base.
Keep in mind, he has a .362 OBP with Syracuse. That’s nearly identical to the .368 he had in 67 games with Binghamton.
Also of note, Álvarez had his third game with Syracuse where he did not record a strikeout. That’s noteworthy with Álvarez striking out at a higher rate with Syracuse. There is the caveat he just had a four strikeout game which does have more of an impact on the rate with this small a sample size.
Really, with Álvarez, it has been about when the hits, and more importantly, the power was going to come. Right now, we’re seeing the power, but we’re still waiting on that first multi-hit game.
Based on what Álvarez has done recently. It’s coming. When that happens, it will be very interesting to see how long it will then take for the Mets to promote him to the majors.
