Francisco Alvarez obliterated a baseball with an amazing walk-off dinger
What does New York Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez do just days after becoming the number one prospect in MLB? He obliterates a baseball for the Syracuse Mets with a walk-off dinger.
My geography isn’t great but it looks like that ball landed in Canada.
Clutch moments for Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez are always a good thing
Even though it’s Triple-A and his numbers at this level haven’t been so great, moments like this can be huge for Alvarez. These early Triple-A struggles do fit the pattern of him getting promoted and seeing his numbers drop dramatically.
In 2019, he went from hitting .462 to .282 after a promotion. In 2021, he hit .417 then got called up and batted .247.
Alvarez’s numbers in Double-A this year included a .277/.368/.553 slash line which is a little more realistic than the .400+ he hit at lower levels prior to getting called up to the next level. He may not have enough time to get there in the final weeks of the Syracuse season but huge hits like this showcase how he is getting better, learning, and isn’t afraid to make younger baseballs orphans.
Amidst his struggles post-Binghamton, Alvarez’s name has been floated as a possible catcher upgrade for the Mets or a headliner in a trade for Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani. Neither seems to be all that logical of a fit for the team right now. The trade deadline is coming up fast.
As for a promotion, Alvarez already had only an outside shot. Unless he was pulverizing baseballs like this on a nightly basis, he wasn’t going to become a big league catcher for the Mets or even a DH option. This does, however, set us up with a reminder about him: when he finally does get called up, expect some slumping. But if his history of playing badly and then figuring it out persists, this will be a light at the end of the tunnel. Alvarez is the number one prospect in MLB for a reason. It’s because everyone can see just how amazing he can be.