One of the play him or sit him cases facing the Mets is not the obvious one at third base or close behind at second base. No, the one no one ever saw coming is happening behind the plate where presumed starter Francisco Alvarez and presumed backup Luis Torrens may be needing a reversal of roles given the horrific offense the team has been receiving throughout the lineup.
For the current record, Francisco Alvarez is in a massive slump. At one point he was able to hit for batting average but the long displayed power was in abeyance. Now the average is down to .236 with just a single dinger for the season. He’s been up 72 times.
The former Yankee Luis Torrens has never been much of a hitter either. His career average is .232. This year he’s up to .275. He also has a single homer with eleven RBIs in now 91 at-bats. So the backup already has 19 more ABs than the starter and he’s hitting 43 points over his career mark.
During this recent Dodgers series manager Carlos Mendoza gave Torrens the start in consecutive games. That approach usually happens when the backup is needed due to illness or injury. In this case it was more about Alvarez being ice cold at the plate and the Mets trying to move the pieces in the lineup to make it at least probable that they could score some more runs.
There’s no question both are good at handling pitchers and throwing out base runners. Lately on the latter count would likely fall in Francisco’s lap as his arm has become lethal. Still, defense alone can build a backup career but seldom a starting one. Folks sometimes forget that at now age 23 Alvarez is still younger than many players in the minors.
Ironically, Torrens holds the league’s best anti-theft numbers in a more traditional set and throw motion and recently he was highlighted in the overturned call from Tyrone Taylor getting out Mookie Betts trying to score on a fly ball to right center field.
Right now it’s not necessarily that Alvarez is not capable of hitting major league pitching. He’s in a slump due to confusion and conflicting offensive desires. There has been concern about his lack of power which would change anyone’s natural approach to the swing. Then there is the higher batting average not being appreciated which forced yet another change. It is perhaps now why fastballs of all unlikely pitches cause him the most difficulty.
For Torrens, it would seem it’s a matter of riding the hot hand as well as letting Alvarez readjust. We saw a nice streak for awhile in 2024 from Torrens but then his more natural level reappeared. For now it would seem that sharing the role as catcher makes some sense to take pressure off Alvarez while enjoying Torrens’ uncharacteristic offensive contribution.
Fans have already seen starting assignments change for slumping Mark Vientos, scuffling Luisangel Acuna and defensively stellar Tyrone Taylor. Some folks are even advocating bringing up Ronny Mauricio to serve as the team’s DH to help jump start the offense. Small changes can sometimes help though they won’t necessarily generate the same headlines major ones do.
12 comments:
I have already expressed concern that Alvarez might be peaking in MLB ability.
I still think his biggest problem is what's above his shoulders
I know that Torrens will have many FA suitors at the end of the season. I only hope that Stearns is one of them
Mets have two catching prospects two years away
Ronald Hernandez
Chris Suero
Suero also plays a capable first and both corners especially left field
Come on, Francisco. Snap out of it. Big single last night. Bad passed ball.
On the bright side, Alvy has developed one of the deadly arms by harnessing his cannon to second
This is a great article Reese. Carlos Mendoza has some tough choices to deal with. Alvarez does seem very confused at the plate, and I am sure it has his confidence down. Maybe they should send him down for a while to build his confidence in his bat. Senger has shown he is worthy of backing up Torrens. We wouldn't miss a beat, and if Alvy comes back with renewed confidence and a better swing it is good for everyone.
I don't really want to hit the young man when he is down, but he would be in the minors if it were me. Glad to see his arm improving but I just can't watch him behind the plate. Passed balls, that ridiculous framing he does.
IMO
Sending Alvarez down would destroy what little head he still has on his shoulders
There is no reason he can’t remain in Queens and fight back.
His defensive game has become Senger like and a trip to Syracuse could cause permanent damage
Also I think he is pressing at the plate because other guys in the lineup aren't hitting. He's trying to spark the offense. He's putting too much pressure on himself. The single last night was a good sign. He doesn't have to lead the team in HR's
Alvarez is going to be just fine. I'm more concerned about Soto.
Both Alvarez and Soto will be just fine. Remember that Aaron Judge was hitting .207 and 6 HRs through his first 116 ABs last year. How many ABs does Alvarez have at present? And Soto seems to have a down first-half, every other year. Both of them will be ALL RIGHT. We need to be patient. Alvy needs to stop swinging so hard and hit more balls to RF and up the middle. Interesting, I wonder if they'll both heat up when the weather changes.... Am I showing cultural bias, or do many Latino position players hit better in warmer weather?
Roy, it is warm enough. Thankfully, the Mets hitters can move on from two improbable dominators, Houser and Vasil. The hitting HAS to start against woeful Colorado.
Post a Comment