3 reasons Francisco Alvarez is here to stay

3) Alvarez's plate discipline gets better by the day

When Alvarez first got called up, he was obviously over-eager with the bat in his hands, waving at balls off the plate and in the dirt. He's steadily improved as time has gone on, though, limiting his strikeouts and raising his average in the process.

Four of Alvarez's first nine games with the Mets this season resulted in two or more strikeouts at the plate. In the 12 games since, he's struck out only five times total, and never more than once in a game. That's a phenomenal improvement.

The eye test bears out Alvarez's rapid development. Early in the season, it felt like opposing pitchers knew they didn't need to challenge Alvarez to get him out. The outside corner was his main weakness, as he was fed a steady diet of sliders on the corner and off of it, often resulting in him reaching helplessly. Now, he's been spitting on those same pitches and waiting for something better to hit.

Alvarez didn't draw a single walk in his first 10 games, but he's earned a free base four times since then. Even better, he's recorded three multi-hit games in May while hitting .320 for the month, rendering his .194 April average but a distant memory.

Alvarez has improved every aspect of his game in just a short time in the majors. Despite the frustrations the team as a whole has caused, don't despair, Mets fans. We have a catcher to build around.