Francisco Alvarez’s defensive metrics have ticked up during the second half, which the Mets credit to a more upright stance in his crouch that cuts down on head movement. As a catcher, he is taking steps that are hard for the average fan (or diehard, for that matter) to notice.
What the fans have noticed is a deep slump and far too many swings that only hit air. In his previous 25 games entering play, Alvarez’s OPS had tanked 90 points because of an 11-for-85 (.129) slide in which he struck out 41 times, walked just six and owned a .410 OPS, a span in which he has been subject to some boos after strikeouts.
In terms of fan frustration, Alvarez was not helped by Luis Torrens — among the best defensive catchers in the sport — getting hot, lifting his own OPS above .700 and making an early argument that next season he should get at least as many reps, if not more, than Alvarez.
Which probably made Alvarez’s fifth-inning at-bat Saturday, in which the former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball got a fastball on the outside edge, went with it and muscled out an opposite-field home run that not many hitters can do, especially encouraging for the Mets and their ostensibly starting catcher.
The turning point in a 10-3 Mets win over the Phillies at Citi Field was the swing from Alvarez, who sent an Andrew Painter four-seamer atop the Cadillac Club in right for a go-ahead shot that reminded of the kind of power he has always possessed.
It was No. 16 for Alvarez in his 108th game, which is a 24-homer pace.
For a catcher who the Mets believe is better than most defensively, this kind of season demonstrates that even a lesser form of Alvarez is still a valuable player.
But the Mets and Alvarez will tell you that they believe there is more in a bat that now is hitting .229 with a .708 OPS and has been prone to sizzling streaks and long chills.
He was excellent offensively in June and July and mostly been ineffective since.
“For Alvy, the biggest thing is I think that he has understood [this season] how important it is for him to defend,” catching coach J.P. Arencibia said recently of a player he believes can be among the best defensively in the game. “And then whatever you get offensively is a plus — and he has a lot of offensive upside.”
When he shot his way through the minor league system, the offensive upside was his calling card. He had (and has) massive power, which he announced by drilling 25 home runs in his year-21 season in 2023.
But three years later, Alvarez is finishing up his year-24 season without noticeable offensive improvement and with noticeable fan frustration.
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Even in a game in which he smacked a three-run home run, Alvarez heard a few jeers after he was punched out with two runners on base in the eighth inning because it will take more than one swing for the fans to start believing again.
