3 players whose spot in the Mets Opening Day lineup can sway the most

2) Francisco Alvarez

Francisco Alvarez has a few things going well for him. He is the most proven of the young players albeit with some shortcomings on offense of his own. A .209 batting average last year might have the Mets thinking twice about making him an automatic lock for the middle of the order. Although the power is undeniable, he may do better hitting closer to the bottom.

The fact that he’s a catcher may also play into this. It seemed to be one of the reasons why Alvarez started 35 games hitting ninth last year. His second most starts came as the number six hitter with a total of 16.

The results seemed to warrant a lower spot in the lineup. Alvarez batted .234/.317/.476 from the number nine spot. He was at his best hitting eighth with a .286/.300/.531 slash line in 50 plate appearances. When he hit fifth, sixth, or seventh, Alvarez had a batting average below .200 and in some instances well under.

At first glance, it would seem to make sense for Alvarez to maybe hit eighth in the lineup where he has succeeded. However, this pushes players like Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and DJ Stewart ahead of him. Are they better big league hitters? Is this actually the best lineup the Mets can assemble?

Alvarez has a slim shot of hitting fifth on Opening Day and that’s if he has a huge spring. The Mets could drop him as low as the bottom spot as they ease him into the long haul of the season and delay his first at-bat. It shouldn’t last long.