The New York Mets have optioned their top-rated prospect, Francisco Alvarez, to Triple-A Syracuse, putting an end to his chances of being on the team’s Opening Day roster.
This move hardly comes as a surprise. With the Omar Narvaez addition in free agency and Tomas Nido, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Alvarez to be with the team to start the 2023 regular season. Also, the fact that Alvarez had to recover from offseason surgery which led to some missed time early in Spring Training made his chances that much harder.
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Francisco Alvarez has tough Spring Training; New York Mets option him to Triple-A:
In Spring Training, Alvarez played in 14 games and had 28 at-bats. He recorded just three hits which led to a low .107 batting average. Alvarez drove in only one run. He struck out 10 times. Alvarez did have two walks which led to a .194 OBP, and finished with just a .301 OPS.
All in all, the move to designate him to Triple-A at this time is hardly a shock. His preseason struggles at the plate paired with the fact that the Mets have two catchers ahead of him lead to Alvarez being better off continuing to gain reps and experience in the minor leagues.
The immense struggles this spring certainly come as a bit of a surprise. Especially, when considering how well other Mets’ top prospects, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos all played. However, Alvarez may still be recovering from his offseason surgery.
In the end, Alvarez still has all the tools and talent that provide him with extraordinary upside. His combination of size and power gives him the chance to be a dominant hitter. At this time, Alvarez just needs to keep on getting plate appearances in Triple-A.