Francisco Álvarez (baseball)

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Francisco Álvarez
File:Alvarez Soto Kim 7.9.2023 (cropped - Alvarez).jpg
Álvarez with the Mets in 2023
New York Mets – No. 4
Catcher
Born: (2001-11-19) November 19, 2001 (age 22)
Guatire, Venezuela
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 30, 2022, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
(through 2023)
Batting average .208
Home runs 26
Runs batted in 64
Teams

Francisco Javier Álvarez (born November 19, 2001)[1] is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Professional career

Minor leagues

Álvarez signed with the New York Mets as an international free agent in July 2018.[2][3] He spent his first professional season in 2019 with the Gulf Coast Mets and Kingsport Mets, batting .312 with seven home runs and 26 runs batted in (RBI) over 42 games with both teams.[4][5] Álvarez did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

The Mets invited Álvarez to their spring training in 2021.[7] He split the season between the St. Lucie Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones, slashing .272/.388/.554 with 24 home runs and 70 RBI over 99 games.[8][9][10][11] In June, Álvarez was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game,[12][13] in which he homered.[1]

Álvarez again participated in spring training with the Mets in 2022.[14]

Major League

File:Francisco Álvarez, Oct 07 2022.jpg
Álvarez with the New York Mets in 2022

Álvarez was called up by the New York Mets on September 30, 2022 and made his major league debut as a designated hitter on the same day against the Atlanta Braves.[15][16] After going hitless in his first eight at bats, Álvarez hit a 439-foot home run off of Washington Nationals reliever Carl Edwards Jr.[17] It was also the first Major League game in which he played catcher.[18] He was the youngest player to appear in the Major Leagues in 2022.[19]

Álvarez was optioned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets to begin the 2023 season.[20] His time in Triple-A did not last long, as he was recalled to the Mets on April 7 following a leg injury to Omar Narvaez.[21] He platooned with backup catcher Tomás Nido, and after an impressive slashline, he became the starting catcher after Nido was DFA'ed when Narvaez came back. Álvarez hit .244 with 11 homers and 23 RBI. He had two home runs on June 8 against the Atlanta Braves, making franchise history as the second youngest Mets player to hit 3 home runs in a 2-game span since Darryl Strawberry (1983).[22]Álvarez is also the 12th player in MLB history with at least 12 home runs in the first 46 career games under the age of 22.[23]

On June 10 during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Alvarez made MLB history when he passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs in the first 45 games played in a season for primary-position catchers at the age of 21 or younger.[24] Álvarez's 13 home runs in 49 games is second to catcher Gary Sánchez (19). He also joined Will Smith and Evan Gattis, both with 13 home runs. On July 4th, Álverez hit his 14th home run (a 467-foot shot to dead center off relief pitcher Miguel Castro) during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks; as a result, he broke the Mets record for most home runs by a rookie catcher, surpassing Travis d'Arnaud (13 HR, 2014), Jason Phillips (11 HR, 2003), and Todd Hundley (7 HR, 1992).[25] On July 29, during a game against the Washington Nationals, Álvarez hit his 20th home run (off Andrés Machado), becoming only the second 21-year-old catcher to reach 20 home runs in a season.

References

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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Achievements
Preceded by Youngest player in the National League
2022		 Succeeded by
Eury Perez
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