Photo by Sam Greene of The Enquirer
While the New York Mets are not currently playing at a satisfactory level, rookie catcher Francisco Álvarez has emerged as a bright spot among the struggling batters in the lineup. In a losing effort against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon, Álvarez was responsible for two of the six hits from the Mets’ anemic offense.
In his first at-bat against Reds’ pitcher Ben Lively, Álvarez grounded a single into right field that traveled an impressive 103.9 mph off the bat. This continues a recent positive trend for Álvarez, in which he is tallying a notable amount of hard-hit balls.
His second hit came in the seventh inning against Reds’ pitcher Kevin Herget. This one was an extra-base hit as he doubled into right field. Consequently, Álvarez was thrown out at home by right fielder Henry Ramos as he tried to score on a subsequent single by Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor.
Álvarez’s third double of the season was the only extra-base hit from the Mets’ offense in Thursday’s contest. Overall, he went 2-for-4 with a strikeout as he continued to swing a hot bat. In fact, he has a batting line of .286/.375/.667 in his last seven games, along with two home runs.
With the recent placement of catcher Tomás Nido on the 10-day IL due to dry eye syndrome, Álvarez should receive an uptick in playing time going forward. It is also significant that he was behind the plate for a Kodai Senga start, as Nido had been exclusively catching for Senga to begin the season.
In addition, Álvarez’s recent hot streak should call for a promotion within the lineup, as he is outperforming many of the other batters. He has also continued to excel on the defensive end, as he is ranked in the 91st percentile for framing, according to Baseball Savant.
