A new report suggests New York Mets management is losing confidence in Francisco Alvarez at the plate, and could soon take a bold step to help him break out of his deep slump.
“In recent weeks, multiple Mets officials acknowledged there could come a time when it would be better for the catcher to work through those swing changes in the minor leagues,” The Athletic’s Mets insider Tim Britton wrote this week. “That decision is delicate. The Mets want Alvarez to build confidence, and sending him down for the first time since spring 2023 would dent that confidence for a time.”
Entering the season, there was hope that Alvarez could have a breakout year at the plate after he spent the offseason at Atlanta’s Maven Baseball Lab with former teammate JD Martinez working on his swing. And he seemed confident about the tweaks he made. Unfortunately, it has not delivered results at the plate after his return from a fractured hamate bone in April.
Francisco Alvarez stats (2025): .229 AVG, .316 OBP, .305 SLG, .621 OPS, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 8 R
Heading into the weekend, he is hitting just .229. While he finished the 2023 season with a .209 average, he still at least hit for power. Posting 25 homers that season. However, his power numbers are way down, and his .621 OPS is the lowest of his career by far.
However, Britton claimed the Mets are not quite at the point yet where they feel they need to send him down soon. “Right now, the Mets believe Alvarez is still helping the major-league team win, and recent progress has them encouraged about his chances of working through his offensive issues in the majors,” he wrote.
Alvarez was not just the best prospect in New York’s system from 2021 to 2023 (via MLB.com), he was among the 10 best in the sport in 2022 and 2023. While he has shown his upside during his time in the big leagues the last few years, he has not come close to reaching the potential many saw in him thus far. However, it must be noted that he is still only just 23 years old and has been better than expected behind the plate.
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