3 red flags from Mets spring training worth some concern

3) Francisco Alvarez has cooled off at the plate

It’s not just serial psychopaths who have a cooling off period. Major league hitters will go through these same slumps. Francisco Alvarez, who started off his spring hot, has been in a bit of a funk.

Alvarez’s batting average peaked at .357 on March 8. He has picked up only two hits since that big game against the Miami Marlins. He’s 2 for 17 in those last 6 games. Reading more like a bad week than an actual warning sign, the worry could come in from how lengthy his slumps were last year.

We saw last season how long one of these cold snaps could last. Alvarez hit only .174/.270/.343 in the second half of last season. After a hot July, he posted slash lines of .139/.262/.194 in August and then a slightly better .200/.269/.467 in September/October.

Fans' confidence in Alvarez’s abilities must recognize the limitations. Thanks to his power last season and some clutch hits, his .209 batting average was mostly ignored if not accepted.

A work in progress, a slow start to Alvarez’s season will be more detrimental for the Mets especially if the bottom half of the lineup is as underwhelming as it looks. He, more than Brett Baty and Mark Vientsos, is the hitter they need to see the most improvement from. He has a long leash but if this slump carries into the regular season, the Mets are in trouble.