Francisco Alvarez, Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

An exciting part of every MLB All-Star break is the Futures Game, which involves several of baseball’s top prospects. In the 2021 edition of the event, the New York Mets had two representatives: catcher Francisco Álvarez and third baseman Brett Baty. 

Álvarez has flown up many scouts’ rankings this season. The 19-year old started the season in High-A with the St. Lucie Mets, where he slashed .417/.567/.646 while walking more than striking out in 15 games. He hit two home runs and contributed 12 RBI. Due to this stellar play, he was quickly moved to the Mets’ High-A affiliate in Brooklyn.

With the Cyclones, he is slashing .243/.356/.505 and has already hit seven home runs to go along with 20 RBI. Of all under-21 minor leaguers this year, he ranks third in wRC+ and fifth in wOBA, per FanGraphs. Due to this terrific season, Baseball Prospectus now has Álvarez ranked as the 11th-best prospect in baseball. It surely has been a tremendous and promising season for the Mets’ catcher of the future so far.

Baty is another prospect that has climbed rankings everywhere. The 12th overall selection from the 2019 draft has played 51 games with the Brooklyn Cyclones (High-A) and is slashing an impressive .309/.397/.514. He’s started to flex his power, too, hitting seven home runs and driving in 34 runs. His .309 average ranks ninth in all of High-A ball, and his wRC+ is also ninth among minor leaguers currently 21 years old or younger.

As a result of his stellar play in Brooklyn, it was recently reported that after the Futures Game festivities, he will report to Double-A Binghamton. To further demonstrate his success, he is now ranked as the 16th-best prospect in baseball, per Baseball Prospectus. It’ll be interesting to see how the 21-year-old performs against tougher competition.

Brett Baty, Photo by Dan Fritz

The Futures Game

As mentioned above, both Álvarez and Baty were named to the NL’s Futures team. Unfortunately, neither got the start, but by the end of the day, each played and had notable impacts.

It started in batting practice, as JJ Cooper of Baseball America noted each as among the session’s best performers. He explained, “Baty has had the most impressive BP for the NL so far,” and noted how Álvarez “crushed back-to-back monster shots,” and in doing so, “may have taken the BP belt.” Cooper ended the thread by explaining how Álvarez showed the best raw power and Baty the most consistent power.

As for actual game, Álvarez pinch-hit in the sixth inning and did not disappoint. He hit a 104 MPH line-drive home run over the left-field wall off right-hander Marcos Diplan. Here’s a look at that laser for those who missed it:

Baty was subbed into the game in the top of the fourth inning. He played the rest of the game at third base and took two at-bats. He struck out on a foul tip in his first trip to the plate against Los Angeles Angels’ lefty Reid Detmers with the bases empty. In the bottom of the sixth, Baty made hard contact but lined out to the third baseman with the bases loaded.

Overall, it was a positive day for these two, showcasing the kind of top-end talent the Mets have in their system.