Is Francisco Álvarez the best catcher in the league right now?
Plus, the red hot Mets open a three-game series with the equally hot Astros tonight in Flushing
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets open a three-game series with the Astros tonight at Citi Field
INF Jose Iglesias performed his song “OMG” at an event with his teammates dancing along (Mets.com)
David Stearns trading reliever Josh Hader when he was with the Brewers but he is a reminder of what can go wrong if Stearns makes a similar decision with the Mets (NY Post)
C Francisco Álvarez has helped spark the Mets’ turnaround with his return from the IL (Daily News)
Álvarez has certainly played a part in the team’s recent hot streak but there have been other factors as well (NY Post)
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Dom Hamel (No. 14 prospect, Triple-A): 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
RHP Brandon Sproat (No. 13 prospect, Double-A): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
OF Alex Ramírez (No. 16 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (39-39) vs. Astros (40-40)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP José Quintana (3-5, 4.58 ERA) vs. RHP Ronel Blanco (8-2, 2.34 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Is Francisco Álvarez the best catcher in the league? ✍️
Before the season started, it seemed like Francisco Álvarez was due for a big year.
In his first full season in 2023, he hit 25 home runs while driving in 63 as a 21-year-old and established himself as one of the elite defensive catchers in the game. That offense - combined with handling a major league pitching staff that included Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander for half a season - seemed to offer a promising glimpse of a career just getting started for Álvarez, a former top prospect in the game.
A month into this season, however, Álvarez tore a ligament in his thumb which sidelined him for nearly two months. The impact from his absence was unquestionably felt by the club as they went 16-28 while he was sidelined and got nearly nothing on either side of the ball while he was out between Omar Narváez and Tomás Nido.
The season appeared to be getting late early for the 2024 Mets.
But then, Álvarez returned and while the Mets had already appeared to turn their season around by the end of May, he brought that energy and swagger back to a club which had sorely missed such a presence while he was out.
The team is 22-3 in the last 25 games Alvarez has played in and overall, dating back to April 4. He is hitting .313/.383/.521 with a wRC+ of 161 in 30 games played. He is the fourth catcher in major league history to hit 30 home runs before turning 23 years old - the others are Johnny Bench (87), Iván Rodríguez (37) and Darrell Porter (31). He also has three defensive runs saved behind the plate in those 30 games, which would be tied for third in the game with Travis d'Arnaud among qualified catchers if he had enough innings behind the plate.
He has been so good since return on June 11, batting .415/.500/.732 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. His wRC+ is an eye popping 248 since then which trails only Shohei Ohtani during the same span. His fWAR stands a 1.2 for the season which is good for sixth among National League catchers despite playing in less than half of the games as the leaders in that category.
If only he hadn’t missed so much time - he might’ve been elected as a starting player on the National League’s All-Star team in 2024 if he had been healthy all year (he should still be added as a reserve, for what it’s worth).
Dodgers C Will Smith has the highest fWAR among catchers in the league, batting .264/.337/.465 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 68 games played. Smith is unquestionably having a great season but Álvarez could outpace those marks should he stay healthy for the remainder of the season.
He is arguably the best catcher in the league right now, if not the most valuable.
The Mets pitching staff raves about throwing to Álvarez and the turnaround has been stark since his return. His manager, Carlos Mendoza, referred to Álvarez as the leader of this club after Wednesday’s win over the Yankees. Now that they have reached .500, the team will need this trend to continue and for Álvarez to continue to demonstrate such leadership if they want to make a legitimate push to the playoffs.
The team should also consider an extension for the 22-year-old at some point soon considering just how important he is to the team, but for now lets just hope he can continue to lead the way on this remarkable turnaround throughout the summer.
Around the League 🚩
Both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber suffered injuries in the Phillies loss to the Marlins
Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper were the top two vote getters in the All-Star balloting in their respective leagues
Twins star Carlos Correa exited the game after being struck on the wrist by a pitch be he appears to have avoided serious injury
The Cubs placed RHP Javier Assad on the IL with a forearm extensor strain