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PORT ST. LUCIE — Francisco Alvarez won’t turn 20 until next offseason, by which time he hopes to have already played his first major league game for the Mets.
The catcher, the organization’s top prospect, divulged his goal for the season Friday before a workout at minor league camp.
“Make it to the bigs,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “That is the goal this year.”
Alvarez, baseball’s No. 10 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, will have to show he’s ready behind the plate if he’s going to have a chance at attaining that goal. Offensively, the early signs have been positive — he had a slash line of .272/.388/.554 with 24 homers and 70 RBIs last year in 99 games for Low-A St. Lucie and High-A Brooklyn. But only 59 of those games came at catcher (he was also used at designated hitter), as the organization looked to keep him fresh in his first real full season.
It’s possible he will begin this season at Double-A Binghamton, although the Mets could also decide to first give him additional reps with Brooklyn, where he played 84 games last year.
The Mets signed the Venezuelan in 2018 for $2.7 million, a franchise-record bonus for an international player. It was part of an international market philosophy implemented by Sandy Alderson, during his tenure as general manager, in which the organization looked to sign higher-end prospects (Ronny Mauricio received $2.1 million the previous year) instead of spreading out the Mets’ bonus allotment over dozens of players. Under GM Brodie Van Wagenen the Mets reverted to spreading out their bonus money over many players. But following Alderson’s return as team president, the Mets are again pursuing higher-end players in the international market. Those fruits should be harvested next offseason, as international players generally reach agreements with teams one or two years before officially signing.
Alvarez carries a sturdy frame — he is listed at 5-foot-11 and 233 pounds.
“I have been working on my body, working in the weight room a lot and working on my defense and just everything, because I like to compete,” Alvarez said.
The Mets have sought a long-term solution behind the plate since Mike Piazza departed following the 2005 season. Since then, the team has employed mostly a combination of veterans and players developed through the system who enjoyed only brief success. A high-profile trade acquisition, Travis d’Arnaud, spent much of his Mets tenure on the injured list, but has since developed into a dependable catcher for the Braves. The Mets will head into this season with James McCann (who received a four-year deal worth $40.6 million in December of 2020) and Tomas Nido behind the plate.
Alvarez showed a flash of his potential in spring training last year when he homered against Jacob deGrom during a simulated game. Alvarez nonchalantly flipped the bat as he realized the ball was about to clear the right-field fence.
“That is something I will never forget,” Alvarez said.
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