On Thursday night, the New York Mets claimed victory over the Washington Nationals largely due to the contributions from catcher Francisco Álvarez. Álvarez made his presence felt on both ends during his five innings on the field, impressing with his arm strength behind the plate while also showcasing his immense power.
Defensively, Álvarez caught three runners stealing on the night. His first victim came in the first inning after throwing out Lane Thomas on a crisp throw to Francisco Lindor. This greatly helped starting pitcher José Quintana as he was able to escape the inning without any further trouble.
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Álvarez was tested twice in the fourth inning and converted on both attempts. After Adam Ottavino allowed a walk to Ildemaro Vargas, Álvarez made a strong throw to Joey Wendle to catch him stealing. Carter Kieboom also decided to test his luck against Álvarez after hitting a single later in the frame. Unsurprisingly, he became the third Nationals player to be sent back to the dugout by the young catcher. Like Quintana, Ottavino had to be pleased with the impressive defensive display from his backstop.
Manager Carlos Mendoza partially attributed Álvarez’s success with catching baserunners stealing to the hastened delivery from Ottavino.
“Adam, you know, a lot to do here with him being quicker to the plate,” He stated. “The fact that he gave Alvy a chance to throw two guys out, it was really good to see.”
Managing the running game is clearly a team effort between the pitcher and catcher. Some pitchers are just slower to the plate, and even the best catchers have difficulty holding runners on with them. So, it is vital that the Mets pitchers work on delivering the ball to the plate quicker.
While Álvarez’s defense was nothing short of incredible, his towering home run was arguably the highlight of his night. In the fifth inning against left-handed pitcher Richard Bleier, Álvarez launched a two-run long ball into the night sky of Port St. Lucie. The homer travelled 408 feet with an exit velocity of 102.5 mph, showcasing his raw power.
It was Álvarez’s second home run of spring training, raising his OPS to 1.118 through 12 at-bats. All the signs are pointing to Álvarez building on his successful rookie campaign with more power in the tank heading into year two.
Naturally, Mendoza had high praise for his emerging catcher.
“Really good night, especially behind the plate,” he said. “Overall, a really good game for Alvy.”
It is very significant that Mendoza placed emphasis on Álvarez’s overall contributions to the game. While it may have been tempting to solely focus on his picturesque swing, Mendoza made sure to mention his strides on defense. This shows that the organization highly values glove work from the catcher position and that Álvarez stepped up to the task on Thursday.
At this point, the primary catcher role is Álvarez’s to lose. Compared to Omar Narváez and the other options at the position, Álvarez is in a separate category. The only questions facing him are his ability to remain consistent and the continued develop of his defense. Based on his seemingly strong work ethic, it is reasonable to assert that he will only improve from here.
