He’s been working with Edgardo Alfonzo and Francisco Alvarez‘s performance Tuesday night was a good imitation of the 1999 Silver Slugger.
He hit the ball to all fields, doubled twice and even scored from third with some heads-up base-running on a foul pop out to the first baseman in the 6-3 victory over the Rangers, who fell into a tie for first with the Astros in the AL West.
“I’ve been working a lot in my approach, stay inside the ball,” Alvarez said in an interview with SNY on the field after the game. “I think I have more coverage at the plate. My path is way better.”
Alvarez went 2-for-5 for his third straight two-hit game to raise his slash line to .234/.313/.405. He’s at a career-high-tying 14 doubles. Alfonzo is one of two Mets to hit 40 doubles twice. (David Wright did it five times.)
“He’s a great guy for me,” Alvarez said of his fellow Venezuelan native. “He talks to me. He’s really calm. He really helps me a lot.”
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Alvarez’s second double brought in two runs to put New York up 4-3 in the sixth. He scored on the foul pop later in the inning on a ball where many runners would have held at third.
“He’s a really good hitter,” manager Andy Green said after his first win without the interim tag. “Even the outs were good today. Using the whole field. Did a nice job last week, just relaxing, shooting the ball around the field. It’s good to see him be himself.”
Green said the 24-year-old “doesn’t have to try to hit the ball hard to hit the ball bard. In this day and age, it’s launch angle and exit velo. He can get up to 115s and when he just takes his swing, he’ll hit it plenty hard and often. Squaring up the ball is all he needs to do and he did it really well today.”
Alvarez told SNY he was glad to hear Green will be in the dugout next season.
“I was really happy,” he said. “I know that Andy is a really great person. He’s a great manager. He communicates well. He’s really consistent. I love (that) he’s going to be our manager for the next few years.”
