Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

MLB Pipeline has begun their yearly countdown of the Top 10 prospects at each position, the Mets have their player included with Francisco Alvarez at No.4 among catching prospects.

Alvarez slotted behind Orioles prospect Adley Rutschman (No. 1 ranked catching prospect), Joey Bart of the Giants, and Padres’ prospect Luis Campusano.

MLB Pipeline noted that Alvarez and Rutschman tied for the best hit tool of the group with their 60 rating.

Alvarez, 19, was signed by the Mets in July of 2018 and given a $2.7 million signing bonus – still a franchise record for an International Free Agent.

The right-handed hitter made his pro debut in 2019 with the GCL Mets, slashing an impressive .462/.548/.846 in seven games. That earned him a quick promotion to the Rookie Level Kingsport Mets.

In 35 games with Kingsport, the strong backstop hit .312/.407/.510 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, and 26 RBIs.

The first time I got the chance to see Alvarez in person was during Spring Training in 2019 before he had played pro ball. The Mets list him at 5’11”, though he’s definitely shorter than that, but he instantly wowed me with his body build. He was 17 at the time and still one of the strongest players in the entire complex.

Despite early questions about his defense, Alvarez impressed me with his lateral movement behind the plate and he certainly has a plus arm. On the offensive side, he has a combination of plate discipline and power you rarely see at his age.

Alvarez was recently ranked as the No. 48 prospect (and top Mets prospect) in baseball according Baseball America’s updated Top 100 prospects going into 2021.