Mets Top Prospect Francisco Álvarez Eyeing Big League Debut In 2022

Coming off a monstrous 2021 season in the minor leagues, Francisco Álvarez has his eyes set on making it to the majors earlier than expected.

And while he has yet to play above Class A ball, and is still just 20-years-old, Álvarez has emerged as one of the best prospects in all of baseball. This factor could make make him one of the rare players that defies these odds.

Prior to the start of Mets minor league camp on Friday at their spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, Álvarez was asked about his goals for this upcoming season, which were bold, yet simple.

“Make it to the bigs. Make it to the bigs. That’s the goal," Álvarez told reporters.

James McCann struggled in his first season with the Mets, and New York's top ranked prospect clearly sees a window of opportunity at the big league level in the near future which has to be an extra motivator for the young catcher.

After an impressive campaign between Low and High A Ball, where he slugged 24 home runs, drove in 70 RBIs and posted a .941 OPS, Álvarez is expected to begin the 2022 season with Double A Binghamton.

And if he continues to rake, while taking steps to improve his defense behind the plate, Álvarez could be challenging McCann for his job soon enough. Realistically, Álvarez won't be ready until 2023 at the earliest, but if McCann, who is under contract for three more years, puts together another down campaign, he might wind up getting replaced.

“He’s coming,” manager Buck Showalter said of Álvarez on Friday. “That young of age, to be at the development he’s at, that’s exciting for all of us.”

However, Álvarez still must face upper level pitching in the minors before he is deemed ready to make his big-league debut. Luckily, Álvarez has already shown some signs of being able to hold his own, homering off Mets ace and two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom last year during live batting practice at the age-of-19.

“He’s got a unique skillset,” Showalter said. “The separator with catchers a lot of times is what kind of offensive impact they can have.”

The real question is whether Álvarez can develop into a competent major league catcher, or if he is destined to serve as a DH instead. The Mets coaching staff has done extensive work with Álvarez to improve his mobility and athleticism behind the backstop. And Showalter is planning to have bench coach Glenn Sherlock work with him during camp. Sherlock is credited for being a catching guru, schooling a number of young players at the position in the past, such as Jorge Posada, Miguel Montero and Brad Ausmus, who all went onto have success.

“I’m really working on my setup, my stance, where I can be comfortable blocking,” Álvarez said. “Now I’m thinking about that and just working to be another catcher in the big leagues for years."

Álvarez, who the Mets signed out of Venezuela at age-16 for $2.9 million in 2018, still has a long way to go in order to reach the majors. But another superb season will have him busting down the door to the big-leagues in no time.