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Francisco Álvarez did not have the start to the season that many were expecting in 2023. He hit just .107 in spring training and started the season at Triple-A Syracuse before an injury to Omar Narváez led to his promotion. After struggling in April, Álvarez has taken off and shown why he was one of baseball’s top prospects.

Since the start of May, Álvarez has looked like an entirely different player. He is hitting .294/.379/.667 in May with five home runs, and his 185 wRC+ leads all MLB catchers for the month of May. He’s the third youngest catcher (21 years, 186 days) in MLB history to hit five home runs in an 11-game span, behind only Johnny Bench (20 years, 267 days ) and Darrell Porter (21 years, 126 days).

On Wednesday night, the Mets’ offense struggled in a windy Wrigley Field loss to the Cubs. The Mets managed just two runs on four hits, but Álvarez continued to shine with two hits, including a two-run homer against the wind.

The Venezuelan catcher has cut down his chase and strikeout rates while showing off the power that made him one of baseball’s most highly touted prospects. After chasing 37% of pitches outside the strike zone between April 9 and April 27, Álvarez has cut that number to just 20% since May 11. The improved discipline has helped him not just draw more walks (six in May after just one in April) but also do damage when he waits for pitches to hit. The improved approach has helped Álvarez quickly become one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters.

For the season, Álvarez has worked his way up to hitting .253/.316/.506 over 87 at-bats. His .822 OPS would rank second on the team if he had enough at-bats to qualify, and his six home runs trail just Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor for the team lead.

Álvarez has always been considered an offensive-minded catcher, but the improvements he has made behind the plate are just as notable as the ones he is making at the plate. Álvarez is in the 92nd percentile in framing per Baseball Savant. Despite catching just four of the 37 base stealers he has faced this year, his pop time to second base is in the 63rd percentile at 1.9. It is safe to say the stolen bases are largely due to the new rules and the pitchers not being able to hold runners as well. All in all, Álvarez has quickly turned himself into an above-average defender, and the Mets’ veteran pitching staff has taken notice.

“He’s done a really good job of sticking with us, making adjustments, especially with the location of his glove on pitches,” David Robertson said about Álvarez. “He does a good job of listening to what the veteran pitchers want to do.”

With Narváez and Tomás Nido on their way back, the Mets will have a decision to make about their catching situation. They can send Álvarez back to Triple-A without potentially losing him, which they can’t do with any of their other catchers, but there is no good reason for anyone besides Álvarez to be the starting catcher going forward. After struggling at the start of the season, Álvarez has become a difference-maker on both sides of the ball that the Mets simply cannot afford to get rid of.