Paul Articulates – Alvarez has only just begun

On this site, we spend a lot of time looking at various prospects from the pre-draft days all the way through the minor league journeys of those selected by the Mets.  We have seen some pretty talented athletes that have made their mark, some that got away in trades, and others that flashed brightly but soon faded out.

Sometimes there is something very special about a player that gains significant recognition.  Francisco Alvarez is one of those players.  He was signed in 2018 as an international free agent out of Venezuela.  As is often the case with international signings there is not as much information out there so you don’t quite know how they will pan out until they arrive.  

But soon after he did, many were talking about his skills and soon he was working his way up the list of MLB prospects.  Between 2019 and 2022 he spent time working his way up from the Gulf Coast League through AAA ball and was called up to the major league club at the end of the 2022 season.

I watched him play in AA ball during the 2022 season, and he showed tremendous bat speed and power, but much of his talent was unrefined.  Everyone that worked with him was impressed with how hard he worked on improving his game.  Sometimes there’s a cliché with that – everyone gets credit for “working hard” even when they’re not.  But with this kid, there was something different.  He was improving faster than expected.  

Fast forward to the 2023 season.  Between the TV crew of Gary, Keith, and Ron and the radio duo of Howie Rose and Keith Raad, there have been several comments about Alvarez being “such a good defensive catcher despite reports that he was not”.  The hosts were impressed with his framing and blocking as well as with his arm.  

Other than his arm, these were not strengths in 2022.  Francisco made them strengths over the period of a year through lots of study, hard work, and the tutelage of Yadier Molina in the off-season.  Some baseball players spend years trying to improve weaknesses with little to show for it.  This one turns it around in a year and was among the top catchers in DRS this year.

Now you see what I mean by “something special”.  It’s not just the tools to hit, throw, and run.  It is the will to make yourself better in every aspect of the game.  Look at what he did with chase rate this year.  

In his short stint in the majors in October 2022 and in the first few weeks after his April call-up, Alvarez was chasing balls out of the zone fairly often.  He studied the pitchers, watched his video, worked with coaches and the Mets pitchers, and then cut his chase rate very quickly to the point where he is now below the MLB average. 

So my take on Alvarez is that all the accolades for being a top prospect in the minors were just a preview to what he may become for the Mets.  He has that exceptional combination of physical tools and the determination to constantly improve.  

Like his teammates Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso, he will not rest on last season’s successes, so fans should expect a better Alvarez every year.  That’s a good sign for the team, because when you have a couple of players like that in the dugout it motivates the others to follow their lead.  Mets front office take notice: this one is a keeper!

Happy Memorial Day to all Mets fans!!!