Francisco Álvarez Turning the Corner at the Right Time

Francisco Álvarez went through a long period where he was searching for it at the plate. Opposing pitchers were consistently getting him to expand with off-speed pitches down and away. Even though Álvarez probably knew it was coming, he was still unable to resist the urge to swing. Most of those struggles appear to be in the rear view mirror, as the 22-year-old catcher is having a fantastic month of September. The New York Mets in position to make the postseason and Álvarez’s impact in every aspect is a major reason why.

He got the scoring started for the Mets on Saturday night. After Philadelphia Phillies took an early 1-0 lead with a home run from Kyle Schwarber, the home team responded and quickly. With one out in the bottom of the second inning, Álvarez got a cutter in the middle of the zone from Ranger Suárez, He put a good swing on it and hit the ball on the line over the left field wall, tying the game at 1-1.

Entering the bottom of the seventh, the teams were tied 2-2. The Mets took the lead on an RBI single from Brandon Nimmo, opening the door for a big inning. Álvarez came back to the plate in a big spot and delivered. He had his hands going up against reliever Orion Kerkering, who entered the day with a 1,93 ERA. Álvarez quickly fell behind but in a 1-2 count, he was able to drive a sweeper into the left center field gap, scoring Pete Alonso from third and Nimmo from second. Just like that, the Mets had a 5-2 lead late in the game.

In the month of September, Álvarez is slashing .267/.365/.622 (.988 OPS) across 52 plate appearances. His power stroke has come back to life, contributing with five home runs and 14 RBIs during that stretch. When Francisco Lindor went down, many wondered if the Mets’ offense could overcome his absence. Taking an MVP candidate out of the lineup would be a big body blow to most teams. That hasn’t proven to be the case with the Mets, who have a multitude of guys stepping up. One of those is certainly Álvarez.

“I really think it’s fun. It’s very fun. Those moments make me different. I like the challenge,” Álvarez about coming to the plate in big situations. His season took a turn for the better when he hit a walk-off home run against the Baltimore Orioles on August 19. He has looked like a different hitter since.

Now, Álvarez is as confident as ever and it is showing. If the Mets are to continue playing into the month of October, they will need more of the same from one of their most talented hitters. A big few days for Álvarez and the team are certainly incoming.

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