Mets Top Prospect Won’t Make Opening Day Roster

mlb-spring-training-washington-nationals-at-new-york-mets

Mar 14, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (50) trains in the batting cage prior to a game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

(New York, NY) – The New York Mets are optioning top prospect Francisco Álvarez to Triple-A Syracuse.

This falls in line with reports that suggested the club was unlikely to keep Álvarez on the opening day roster, unless a catcher had gotten hurt. Instead, the Mets appear likely to start the season with Tomas Nido and Omar Narvaez behind the plate.

“He’s not a guy you’d like sitting around as a backup catcher, but we could go that direction,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said of Alvarez Wednesday. “We feel good that he’s going to be able to carry the load if and when he comes up.”

Mar 3, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (50) during a game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

After a brief stint with the parent club last year, Álvarez failed to put any pressure on the team to start him off in the majors this year, after going 3-for-28 with 10 strikeouts and no extra base hits during spring training.

He could push for a promotion this summer if he rakes against Triple-A pitching. Some scouts have also suggested that Álvarez needs to improve his defense, particularly with regard to receiving and working with a pitching staff.

“We want to wait for the complete package to be there,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said last month. “If Francisco is on our club, if he’s on our team, or if he shows up, we want to make sure we can catch him because the long-term trajectory for this young man is to be able to catch.”

Related Posts

Loading...
sports_video_header3