Report: New York Mets Not Ruling Out Top Prospect's MLB Debut in 2022
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The New York Mets' top ranked prospect might be closer to the major leagues than initially anticipated.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Mets aren't ruling out the possibility of Francisco Alvarez catching in the big-leagues this season.
The Mets haven't received much offensive production from their trio of catchers this year: James McCann (IL, rehabbing from hand surgery), Tomas Nido or Patrick Mazeika. While this group has been sound defensively, the writing is on the wall that Alvarez will soon become the starting catcher in the majors once he is deemed ready, whether this comes in 2022 or next year.
Alvarez has been on a tear in Double A Binghamton in the month of June, slashing .297/.357/.811 with five homers, four doubles, and 10 RBI across 10 games. He is currently carrying a 12-game hitting streak.
Overall, the 20-year-old catcher is slashing .275/.348/.549 with a .897 OPS, 13 home runs and 33 RBI in 50 games with Binghamton this season. As Heyman went onto report, the Mets would prefer to see Alvarez in Triple A before they mull bringing him up in 2022.
Back in mid-May when McCann suffered a broken hamate bone, which was expected to sideline him for up to six weeks at a minimum, one source told Inside the Mets that Alvarez wasn't being considered a candidate to be called up during this time. The reasoning was because the young catcher hadn't faced enough upper-level pitching or caught enough of it in the minors to this date.
Should the Mets decide that Alvarez still needs more time in the minors to develop his defensive skills behind the plate, the team could explore a trade for a veteran catcher ahead of the August 2 deadline. Willson Contreras, longtime catcher for the now rebuilding Chicago Cubs, is a name to keep an eye out for later this summer, as his contract is set to expire following the season. Contreras, 30, is one of the best hitting catchers in baseball, and is slashing .267/.394/.506 with a .900 OPS, 10 homers and 23 RBI.
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