Francisco Alvarez is proving that he is ready for the majors
Only 21 years old, New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez has been on fire over the past seven games to the point where it is now his job to lose.
Alvarez has posted a .346 batting average while swatting three home runs and driving in eight runs in his last seven games. Alvarez was recently moved into the second spot of the batting order and is benefitting from hitting in front of the likes of shortstop Francisco Lindor and first baseman Pete Alonso.
Alvarez recently earned the praise of former Mets great catcher Mike Piazza in a New York Post article.
"I think what I've seen of Alvarez, is he is a very exciting hitter and I hope he continues his hot pace," Piazza said.
Manager Buck Showalter is also impressed.
"I think Fransisco has a chance to be a force in a lot of different spots right now in our lineup," Showalter said.
Not only is Alvarez getting it done at the dish, but he has also been showing off stellar pitch-framing ability while stealing strikes during at-bats multiple times per game. He is still a work in progress keeping runners from stealing bases, as he has only thrown out two runners this season in 25 attempts.
One of the Mets' top prospects over the past few seasons, Alvarez found himself in Triple-A to begin the season and was only sprung into action after starting catcher Omar Narvaez strained his left calf on April 7.
With Narvaez recently sent out on a rehab assignment, it will be interesting to see how the Mets handle this situation with veteran Tomas Nido also on the major league roster.
With the way he has been hitting and his defense steadily improving behind the dish, the Mets can't afford to send him down as they look to continue fighting their way into playoff contention in 2023.
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