Mets Top Prospects for 2022: No. 1 Francisco Alvarez

Francisco Alvarez, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN

No 1. Francisco Alvarez, Catcher

B/T: R/R          Age: November 19, 2001 (20)
Ht: 5’10”          Wt: 233lbs
ETA: 2023        Previous Rank: 1
Acquired: Signed as a free agent to a minor league contract out of Venezuela (7/2/2018)
2021 Stats (St. Lucie/Brooklyn): .272/.388/.554, 18 2B, 1 3B, 24 HR, 70 RBI, 8 SB, 5 CS

Francisco Alvarez is a player with raw strength and talent. He is a guy who has quickly drawn attention from scouts and coaches and since 2018 as found himself as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Though the highest level he has played at is High-A Brooklyn, he finds himself as the Mets No. 1 top prospect,

Alvarez also ranks as the 10th best prospect in the game in MLB Pipeline‘s and Baseball Prospectus‘ prospect rankings. FanGraphs has Alvarez listed as the No. 5 best prospect in baseball. The Athletic has him ranked as No. 8. Both Baseball prospectus.

Alvarez split the 2019 season with the GCL Mets and rookie level Kingsport. Between the two clubs he was 49-157 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 26 RBI’s, and 32 runs scored. He was walked 21 times and struck out 37 times. He had one stolen base and was caught stealing twice. He had a .312 average, .407 on-base percentage, slugged .510, and had a .917 OPS.

Alvarez, like every other minor leaguer did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down minor league baseball for the season.

Alvarez split the 2021 season between Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. Between the two clubs he had a .272 AVG (.417 in St. Lucie, .247 in Brooklyn). He hit one triple, 24 home runs, had 70 RBI’s, and scored 67 runs. He had a .388 OPS, and was slugging .544, with a .942 OPS.

Alvarez was given an invitation to Major League camp for spring training this season.

Before camp began last week, Alvarez spoke with media about his goals for the 2022 season. “Make it to the bigs. Make it to the bigs. That’s the goal,” he told reporters. And after James McCann struggled in his first season with the Mets in 2021, should McCann’s struggles continue, Alvarez could find himself doing just that, making the bigs before he is statistically expected to (which would be 2023).

Mets Manager Buck Showalter spoke about Alvarez at camp last week as well. “He’s coming… That young of age to be at the development he’s at, that’s exciting for all of us,” Showalter told reporters. Showalter also spoke on Alvarez’s skill set, saying that what separates him from other catchers is the offensive impact he has the ability to have.

One thing the Mets will be looking for during spring training is how he hits off of upper-level pitching. He showed some of his ability in 2019 homering off of Jacob deGrom last year. But having only played at the high-A level, the Mets will likely want to evaluate how Alvarez does this spring and then at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

MLB.com bio sums up Alvarez’s offensive abilities well: “His swing is whip-like form the right side and helps him barrel balls easily to all fields. He has tremendous raw power that is already been of use in games.” Per MLB.com, Alvarez’s 24 home runs in 2021 ranked second among minor league teenagers.

The Mets want to see Alvarez’s athleticism behind the plate improve. Already in camp the Mets are working on Alvarez’s mobility and getting more comfortable in his stance and stronger in the arm.

Through the 2021 season, though he played 99 games between low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn, he only caught 59 of those games and served the rest as a designated hitter. But Alvarez is still young at just 20-years old and hopes that by the time he turns 21 or 22 he could be playing in the big leagues as a catcher.

“I’m really working on my setup, my stance, where I can be comfortable blocking,” said Alvarez.

Alvarez is the type of player who is dedicated to his craft and to improving his performance. He stated that he’s thinking about his stance and working toward being a player who can catch at the major league level for years.

He also stated from camp that he has been working on his body in the weight room. As a player who wants to compete and prove he’s able to compete at higher levels, he understands the work that needs to be put in.

“I have been working on my body, working in the weight room a lot and working on my defense and just everything, because I like to compete,” said Alvarez. He already has a “plus arm,” but the Mets would like to continue to see his throwing improve.

Though Alvarez still has things he needs to work on, he is proving himself and making a name for himself. With his work ethic, the Mets and other scouts believe he’s a player that can improve and can become a major league-level catcher and an offensive weapon for the Mets in the years to come, and even potentially sooner than originally expected.

Alvarez will continue to be a player to keep an eye on in 2022 and to watch how he progresses this season.

Written by alexisfarinacci