A bold Francisco Alvarez change we shouldn’t blame the NY Mets for trying

Francisco Alvarez looks like he will, yet again, lead the league in passed balls. He has already surpassed last year’s total of 7, the one year since becoming a MLB regular when he didn’t lead the NL in this statistic. The young New York Mets catcher has been everything from promising behind the plate with rave reviews from pitchers to the guy he has become in 2026 which appears to be an untrustworthy defender. Allowing a run against the Los Angeles Dodgers when he gave up his eighth passed ball of the year felt like a nudge to everyone about this ongoing question.

Passed balls are only a part of the story. He hasn’t rated well behind the plate in the last two seasons after some promising results in 2023 and 2024. The regression is alarming.

So what do the Mets do? Making Alvarez the DH an irregular catcher is one thing to consider, especially if they continue to have a guy like Luis Torrens around. A third catcher, at times, makes it more realistic. What about something bolder?

Could the Mets actually consider giving Francisco Alvarez some first base reps?

In Saturday’s game, the Mets wisely gave Brett Baty a start at first base. Although it did include an error, the outfield experiment has already given us a verdict while first base remains a mystery. It doesn’t look like he’s close to a finished product there. Alvarez, who has never played a defensive position other than catcher, might be someone to ask to take a couple of ground balls.

First base is the only conceivable place for Alvarez to play other than catcher. He doesn’t have the speed for anywhere else. And given how successful Willson Contreras has been as a defender since the move, it’s hard to make a case that it absolutely would never work. Alvarez is green enough to master the position. No one has ever criticized him for failing to work hard. A few days after Torrens made an appearance at first base, we can start to think if the team would ever do the same with the inferior defender at catcher.

The Mets have never flirted for even a single pitch with Alvarez away from the catcher spot. Has the thought crossed David Stearns’ mind? In the run prevention era of the Mets, it’s clear the preference is for Torrens to go behind the plate. A backup catcher’s bat with a clutchness to it, he definitely isn’t a starter in this league. In times when he has played a lot, we’ve seen him exposed.

Alvarez, on the other hand, is slowly growing into one of the better hitting catchers in baseball. His power is among the best and with a more balanced slash line this year, he is more justifiable at a position of power.

The Mets have moved everyone else all over the place and if Alvarez isn’t the solution behind the dish on a regular basis, what can they do? The Mets can keep trying to train him and hope for the best, trade him, or pull a card they have (mostly unsuccessfully) yanked a bunch.

In a lost season, there are worse things the Mets could try. The mantra of this season when it comes to off-the-wall experiments is “what harm can it do?”

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