Francisco Álvarez, Fellow Rookies Lead Charge Back From Large Deficit

Francisco Álvarez struggled out of the gate after he was called up from Triple-A Syracuse in early April, but with time and more at-bats, the young catcher has quickly become a consistent contributor at the bottom of the Mets’ lineup. That was on full display in Saturday’s 10-7 loss against the Colorado Rockies, as the 21-year-old collected another two hits to raise is average to .273 for the season.

With the Mets already trailing 5-0, Álvarez led off the top of the third with a double to the right-center gap. He tried to stretch it out to a triple, a decison that seemed to be the correct one when he slid in safely, at least initially. Álvarez came off the bag, and after the Rockies challenged the call, it was ruled that he was out.

”I feel like I’m to blame a bit for that play at third base. I feel like had I stayed on the bag, we would have been able to get a run and score a run in that moment,” Álvarez.

A play like that could affect a young player’s performance for the rest of the game, but not him. In the top of sixth with the Mets trailing 6-3, Álvarez came to the plate with two men on base. Rockies’ reliever Jake Bird hung a breaking ball in the middle of the zone and the Mets’ slugger made him pay, crushing the ball over the left field fence to tie the game at six.

The Mets took a slight 7-6 lead in the seventh inning, but the Rockies would answer with four runs against Jeff Brigham and Drew Smith to earn the victory at home. It was a tough loss for New York, given how hard they fought to get themselves back into the game. But, even in defeat, the talking point continues to be Álvarez and his ability to deliver in the clutch.

Over his last 15 games, he is slashing .327/.407/.769 with six home runs and 12 RBIs. Álvarez has been impressive in the month of May, and his teammates are giving his constant praise for what he has been able to accomplish in his brief time with the Mets big league ball club.

“I can’t say enough great things about him,” Justin Verlander said. “He cares, which shows big time in the clubhouse and behind the plate. That goes miles for pitchers. We all know the bat is going to be there. The improvements he has made already are a great sign for a future major leaguer.”

Not only did Álvarez have a big night, but fellow rookies Brett Baty and Mark Vientos also had superb evenings. The trio were all in the lineup for Saturday’s game, and while Álvarez will grab most of the headlines, the other two young guys played a pivotal role in the Mets initial comeback.

Baty had an RBI double to left-center field in the sixth, scoring Jeff McNeil. Three batters later, Vientos singled into right field, one of his two hits on the night.

The three of them combined to go 5-for-13 with two extra-base hits, four RBIs and two runs scored. Each were at the center of how New York was able to make a huge comeback before unfortunately falling. As always, it’s great to see the young core of the team excel.