Looking Ahead: Francisco Alvarez

Overtime Heroics Editorial

607 days ago

With Keith Law releasing his top prospect list today, Mets fans were pleased to see five different prospects grace the list. The highest-ranking of them was Francisco Alvarez, a catcher who is ranked as the 8th overall prospect in baseball by Law. Alvarez has recently become the Mets’ top prospect, and many Mets fans are excited to see when the young star will make his way to the major league squad. James McCann is under contract for the next three seasons, however, that may not stop Alvarez from taking over the starting job before then.

Career So Far

Alvarez was signed by the Mets out of Venezuela in 2018 when he was 16 years old. Alvarez signed for $2.7 million and instantly became a top prospect in the Mets organization. With the depleted organizational depth, Alvarez shined in the Mets system and became a bright spot for the future. Being so young, Alvarez had a long road before even becoming a thought at the major league level, however, he has progressed well throughout his time in the minor leagues. Alvarez"s first season was only 182 plate appearances, yet he performed well, slashing .312/.407/.510 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs. Alvarez also played very solid defense in his age-18 season. With the 2020 minor league season canceled, Alvarez came back with a very strong 2021 season in A and high-A ball. Alvarez slashed .272/.388/.554 with 24 home runs and 70 RBIs. With taking a year off, Alvarez showed that he was capable of being a high-caliber baseball player. As the season approaches (barring the new CBA), Alvarez is poised for another impressive season.

What to Expect

Alvarez is 20 years old. As it stands today, Alvarez is not supposed to be in the majors until at least 2023, possibly 2024. Alvarez is very quickly rising through the rankings of Major League Baseball"s top prospects and there is no reason to suspect that he is going to slow down. Though he won"t be making a splash in the next year or two, Alvarez is one of the most promising prospects in baseball, and the Mets should feel very lucky to have a player of that caliber in their farm system. Expect a big impact starting in 2024.

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