When Rawlings released the finalists for the Gold Glove Award on Wednesday afternoon, it was somewhat of a surprise that Francisco Álvarez was not included among them. While his offensive output was impressive, Álvarez’s development behind the plate was the most encouraging aspect of his rookie campaign. There was no shortage of skepticism regarding his ability to hold up defensively both in the short- and long-term coming into the season, but Álvarez swiftly shut down any concerns and made it clear that he has a home at the catcher position.

If Álvarez were to have a defining trait, it would be his framing. His expertise in this area of the game, while being relatively inexperienced, is no small feat and displays that he has the capability to aid his pitchers and make an impact on a pitch-to-pitch basis. Álvarez ranked fourth in the league and second only to fellow rookie and Gold Glove finalist Patrick Bailey in the National League in Catcher Framing Runs with nine, according to Baseball Savant, while also finishing seventh in Fielding Run Value, which is an aggregate of several metrics, according to the site.

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Álvarez graded out highly across several other outlets, as he ranked third in the league in FanGraphs’ Catcher Framing stat, seventh in Baseball Prospectus’ Framing Runs metric, and tied for first in Strike Zone Runs Saved.

Álvarez also finished in the top-15 in Defensive Runs Saved at the position with six in addition to closing out the year with the sixth-highest Defensive Runs Above Average total at 18.7, which is calculated using fielding runs above average plus a positional adjustment that places Álvarez just below the “excellent” defender threshold according to FanGraphs. Furthermore, Álvarez placed seventh in both Deserved Runs Prevented, which determines a player’s total fielding contributions in runs, and Catching Defense Added, according to Baseball Prospectus, which proves just how remarkable he was defensively at such a young age.

There’s still work to be done in order to progress toward becoming a universally skilled backstop, but the fact that Álvarez is already this advanced is a welcome sign for the New York Mets. The only drawback in his game is his inability to control the run game, but he possesses the tools necessary to make strides there with a strong pop time and fantastic arm strength. If he can put it all together and find a way to cut down on the errors, the sky truly is the limit for Álvarez moving forward.