Major League Baseball announced their Team of the Month for July this morning, and Mets rookie catching sensation Francisco Álvarez earned a spot among the league’s elite. The news comes just days after he was named NL Rookie of the Month for July.
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In July, Álvarez slashed a mighty .275/.351/.623 with eight home runs, 16 RBIs and a .974 OPS. He led National League rookies in home runs and RBIs during the month as well.
The 21-year-old had a slow start in his cup of coffee with the Mets this year but has been on a tear lately. In April, he was hitting just .194/.216/.278 with a .494 OPS. Since assuming the starting catching role and garnering consistent playing time, his numbers from May on have been .243/.311./.545 with a 134 wRC+.
He leads National League rookies in home runs with 21, tied for first with the Rangers’ Josh Jung. Álvarez sits fifth among qualified rookies in OPS with a .807 for the year. Álvarez has 21 home runs on the season, the second most ever by a 21-year-old catcher behind the 26 Johnny Bench hit in 1969.
Álvarez joins rumored Mets target Shohei Ohtani, Manny Machado, Bobby Witt Jr., and Cody Bellinger on the star-studded list.
