Francisco Alvarez entered Thursday night with questions surrounding his future. He left it having provided a timely reminder of why the Mets should be careful about giving up on him.
Batting ninth amidst trade speculation, Alvarez homered twice and helped guide the Mets’ pitching staff through a dominant performance in a 4-1 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The win moved the Mets to 41-57, but the larger takeaway may have been the performance of their 24-year-old catcher.
“Aside from the two home runs, I think the biggest impact that I was able to be a part of was how well our pitchers threw today,” Alvarez said.
That answer showed all of the value Alvarez offers. His power supplied two of the Mets’ four runs, and his work behind the plate helped Christian Scott and four relievers hold Philadelphia to four hits and one run. Scott delivered 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits without issuing a walk, before Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazobán, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams finished the job.
Alvarez gave the Mets their first lead in the third inning when he drove an Aaron Nola slider over the center-field wall. The solo shot was his 10th home run of the season and the only run either team scored through the first six innings.
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He struck again in the seventh. Moments after Brett Baty opened the inning with a solo homer to right-center, Alvarez lined a Nola sinker over the left-field wall. The back-to-back blasts extended the Mets’ advantage from one run to three and ended Nola’s night.
Alvarez finished 2-for-3 with a walk, two home runs, two RBIs and two runs scored. The performance raised his season average to .259 while bringing his totals to 11 homers, 24 RBIs and a .773 OPS. The one game raised his OPS by an astonishing 39 points.
Interim manager Andy Green acknowledged that Alvarez’s position in the order did not match the power he displayed.
“As much power as you’re ever going to see in the nine-hole,” Green said. “Probably means he doesn’t really belong in the nine-hole.”
Alvarez has surfaced as a potential name of interest in trade conversations as the deadline approaches, which is understandable given the Mets’ slim playoff chances. SNY’s Chelsea Jones reported that the organization’s deadline stance is that “everyone other than Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and Juan Soto is available.”
Young catchers with legitimate power are difficult to acquire, and Alvarez’s uneven stretches have made his long-term value debatable. Thursday showed both why other teams would want him and why the Mets should be hesitant to move him.
Alvarez’s offensive ceiling once helped make him one of the top prospects in baseball, but his performance Thursday was not limited to his bat. He also picked Kyle Schwarber off at second base in the sixth inning after he doubled with two outs, preventing Philadelphia from threatening to tie the game with a runner in scoring position.
The game conditions made breakout performances slightly more difficult. Philadelphia was covered by smoky air from Canadian wildfires, creating an uncomfortable environment for both teams.
“Benge said it felt like you were sitting at a campfire, just close to a campfire,” Baty said. “It’s fun, but it didn’t feel great playing ball with it though.”
Baty also offered a reminder of his own potential. He went 2-for-4, homered and scored twice while starting at second base. His seventh-inning homer gave the Mets a valuable insurance run and helped knock Nola out of the game.
Despite the haze, Baty and Alvarez saw the ball clearly enough to combine for three home runs. Ewing added an RBI double in the ninth after Trea Turner’s solo homer had brought Philadelphia within two runs.
For the Mets, one strong night does not change the direction of their season. They remain well below .500 and could have a fire sale before the Trade Deadline.
It does, however, complicate any discussion involving Alvarez. At 24, he is already a well above-average offensive catcher with significant power. His development has not exactly been linear, but Thursday showed the kind of all-around impact he can provide. If the Mets do decide to make him available, the price should be sky-high.
