The New York Mets have two competent catchers in Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido.
That made things hard for the organization’s top prospect, Francisco Alvarez, to earn a roster spot in spring training.
Despite making his MLB debut last year, Alvarez just has 45 games of Triple-A experience and things to work on as a hitter.
These situations resulted in a tough, but fair Mets decision in camp.
The Mets have optioned top prospect Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A.
—Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 22, 2023
The Mets, and Alvarez himself, knew that the likelihood of him making the Opening Day roster was directly tied with the health of the other catchers.
The problem was also that he didn’t exactly force their hand.
He went 3-for-28 with no extra-base hits and 10 strikeouts this spring, so his fate was likely sealed a while ago.
Alvarez will start the season in Triple-A, and if he rakes and passes that test, he is in line for a callup at some point in 2023.
How soon into the season?
That part will likely depend on him.
Between Double-A, Triple-A, and the majors, Alvarez hit 28 home runs.
That is proof of how impactful his power can be.
He does have a strikeout issue that he needs to improve: he struck out 24 percent of the time in Double-A, and the number went up to 26.1 percent in Triple-A and 28.6 percent in the majors.
Once he manages to make consistent contact, he could be a .250 hitter with 30-homer power.
From the catcher position, that would qualify as All-Star worthy.
The Mets will need to be patient, though, because there could be some bumps along the way.
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