3 reasons Francisco Alvarez is here to stay

Why hello there, fellow New York Mets fan. Thank you for clicking. The fact that you're here means one of two things. Either you, like me, are choosing to ignore the stench coming from the plane that flew last night from Cincinnati to Washington, and are opting instead to clutch onto a small thread of hope in these troubled times. Either that, or you decided to read one last article on your phone before summoning the courage to jump.

I implore you, dear reader, don't do it. There's lots to live for, even if the Mets are doing their best to push us all to the brink. Allow me to point your gaze behind home plate, where a 21-year-old Venezuelan catcher is shining like a newborn star in the cold, infinite blackness of space that is the Mets' past three weeks.

His name is Francisco Alvarez, and he's giving Mets fans something to hold on to.

Originally called up in the wake of free agent signee Omar Narvaez's early season calf strain, Alvarez initially looked overwhelmed at the plate, leading many to question if he had what it takes to live up to the pressure that comes with being the #1 prospect in baseball.

Short answer: yes he does. Alvarez has spent the past two weeks growing more comfortable in the big leagues, and with fellow backstop Tomas Nido now on the IL with dry eye syndrome (an injury that one can only assume is due to running out of tears from checking his Twitter mentions while batting .118), Alvarez is going to get all the playing time he can handle. Let's take a look at three reasons why Alvarez has shown he's here to stay, not just this season, but as the Mets' answer at catcher for the next decade.

1) Alvarez's power is real, and it is spectacular

Sorry to go all Seinfeld on you, but the power bat that saw Alvarez fast track his way through the minors is a sight to behold. It took a little while for it to show itself, but as Alvarez has acclimated to major league life, his bat has also warmed up.

The highlight thus far came on Tuesday, when Alvarez went yard twice against the Reds. The first was an opposite field shot off a Luke Weaver fast ball, with a two-handed follow through that brought to mind the gold standard of power-hitting catchers, former Met Mike Piazza.

The second also came off Weaver, this time when Alvarez pulled a hanging 1-1 breaking ball to the left field stands. Watching it again, I'm struck by the fact that Alvarez actually didn't get all of this one. He got under it and still powered it out. There aren't many catchers in the league that can do that.

It's a small sample size, but in the last seven games, Alvarez's OPS is 1.042, an elite number that would rank him second among all hitters in the majors. The rest of the Mets are struggling so badly at the plate that it only serves to highlight how good Alvarez has been. Don't be surprised if he gets moved up in the order soon to provide a spark.