Powerful New York Mets’ Catcher Francisco Alvarez Is On Fast Track To Stardom

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez has game-changing power.

The right-handed hitting Alvarez, a rookie at the age of 21, has already become a feared hitter in a Mets lineup that needs his impactful bat.

During their three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, this scout was on hand to watch Alvarez hit a consequential home run in each of the three Mets victories. He has homered in four of his last five games.

With two outs in the 9th inning July 5, Alvarez tied the game with a dramatic, two-strike home run. The Mets went on the defeat Arizona, 2-1.

About Francisco Alvarez:

Short and stocky at 5-10, 233 pounds, right-handed hitting Francisco Alvarez has the prototypical build of a catcher.

The New York Mets signed Alvarez as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2018.

He received a Mets franchise record for international prospects with his $2.7 million signing bonus.

Alvarez gained strength while working in his dad’s construction business. That strength is evident every time he comes to the plate.

Scouting Francisco Alvarez:

Alvarez has short arms, huge hands and massive forearms. He generates tremendous power from his upper-body strength, and by using his entire frame in his swing.

Using an open stance, Alvarez uses a very measured, compact stroke that takes advantage of every ounce of strength he can generate.

Alvarez generally has enough personal discipline in his swing mechanics to keep from being too aggressive or lengthening his swing. To his credit, he consistently repeats his swing mechanics.

Even though he is young, Alvarez is not intimidated by pitchers. He can crush any pitch, but feasts on fastballs.

Alvarez has the bat control and ability to take the ball to all fields. His power to the opposite field is very impressive.

As witnessed in his games in Arizona, he has enough power to easily reach the seats in right field.

Alvarez flew through his Mets minor league development program.

In 2019, at the age of 17, Alvarez began his professional career at Kingsport in the Appalachian League.

Due to the pandemic, he did not play in 2020.

In 2021 and 2022, Alvarez progressed through Class-A, Class-A Advanced, Double-A, and finally Triple-A, last season. In those two years, he hit a combined 51 home runs, with 27 coming last year.

As a young minor league player, Alvarez regularly flashed an exit velocity well in excess of 90 miles per hour.

That exit velocity has continued for Alvarez in his brief big league career. Baseballsavant has listed his exit velocity at 113.6 miles per hour, which is very impressive for a young, rookie player.

There are still some rough spots to Alvarez’ offensive game.

Even with his good hitting mechanics, there are times when Alvarez expands his strike zone, tries to do too much with the pitch, and ends up striking out. Frankly, however, that’s very normal for a young rookie player getting his first looks at major league pitching.

At the age of 20, Alvarez made his debut with the parent Mets September 30, 2022, against the Atlanta Braves.

Prior to the start of play July 7, Alvarez has hit 16 home runs, and driven in 33 runs in 214 plate appearances.

Defensively, Alvarez is not a finished product. He is continuing to learn how to call a game.

Alvarez receives pitches well. He has average arm strength and carry on his throws. However, he will be better with more experience, and a greater knowledge of both his pitchers and major league venues and nuances.

Alvarez will improve in blocking balls in the dirt as time passes, but he is progressing well.

This old scout was impressed watching Alvarez hustle down the first base line to back up the first baseman on ground balls hit to his infielders. He was quick to move, and efficient in his mechanics.

The progress and efficiency Alvarez has shown in such a short time as a professional has been remarkable.

Alvarez played in 257 games as a minor league player, receiving only 1,096 plate appearances before earning his graduation to the parent New York Mets.

During his time in development, Alvarez hit 60 home runs and drove in 178 runs, showing the type of power the Mets projected when they signed him.

Last October, Alvarez’ development was interrupted by right ankle surgery he required to deal with cartilage damage. He recovered well, and that issue appears to be in the rear view mirror.

To this scout, Alvarez earns a grade of 60 on the 40-80 baseball scout grading scale. That translates to a frequent All Star type player. A grade 60 is a player with impactful tools that changes games. That’s what Francisco Alvarez can do, and has done. And frankly, he may even exceed that grade.

Conclusions:

Competitive and strong, New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez is quickly making his mark among Major League Baseball catchers.

The game is seeing some outstanding young catchers emerge. Players like Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles, Yanier Diaz of the Houston Astros, Jonah Heim of the Texas Rangers, and Gabriel Moreno of the Arizona Diamondbacks have hit the MLB ground running.

The Mets Francisco Alvarez is right up there with the exciting young catching stars when accolades are being distributed. He’s that good. He’s that strong. He’s that powerful.

To this old scout, the Mets lineup has a budding star behind the plate. And he’ll only get better with time and more experience.