Francisco Alvarez believes he'll turn it around despite a slow start, and the Mets agree
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez in the dugout after a loss to Atlanta on Tuesday. Credit: AP/Brynn Anderson
ATLANTA – After Francisco Alvarez took ownership for a throwing gaffe that helped cost the Mets the game in extra innings Tuesday evening, he offered a second mea culpa – this time, on something that could have easily skirted notice.
“We had [Marcell] Ozuna hitting with two strikes and [Reed Garrett] called a fastball, and I changed the pitch to a splitter,” Alvarez said. “I think maybe I made a mistake in that situation, so I feel very bad for that.”
That pitch ended up being laced for a three-run double that tied the score in a game the Mets would eventually lose to Atlanta, 5-4, in 10 innings. But it was also a microcosm of two things:
1. This has undoubtedly been a crummy season for Alvarez thus far, and 2. He’s aware of it, and is willing to take ownership of the fact, even if he doesn’t always have to.
And despite the struggles, Alvarez and the Mets are committed to his potential.
“I think a lot of the new things I’m doing right now, I believe in a lot,” Alvarez told Newsday Tuesday. “I’ve just got to be patient and wait for my time. I know it’s coming. I’m going to get hot at some points.”
The “new things” would be the offseason tweaks he made to his swing – changes in mechanics and his depth in the batter’s box that, right now, have led to him pulling the ball in the air less (generally, successful power hitters looking to optimize whatever bat speed they have tend to pull the ball in the air more). The results haven’t been there so far: He was hitting .235 going into Wednesday’s game and has two homers and five total extra-base hits - a troubling power outage that comes despite hitting the ball as hard as ever.
It likely doesn’t help that he broke his hamate bone in spring training and didn’t make his major-league debut until late April (“It made it a little bit harder but I don’t think it affected me that much,” he said.)
His catching, meanwhile, has been a mixed bag. With runners on first and second and one out in the 10th inning Tuesday, he caught lead runner Luke Williams trying to advance to third on a ball in the dirt. Alvarez, though, instinctively threw to second, behind Williams, allowing a clear path to third. Huascar Brazoban eventually loaded the bases and gave up a game-winning sacrifice fly.
That said, he’s done a strong job controlling the running game – his 33.3 caught stealing percentage puts him in the 91st percentile. His framing has dipped significantly from last year, according to Baseball Savant (granted, that could be due to various factors, including catching Kodai Senga, whose signature ghost fork is crafted for chase, not nibbling). But manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday that he’s liked what Alvarez has done in that sphere.
Which is why, despite Luis Torrens getting the start Wednesday, the Mets continue to put Alvarez out there.
"In Alvy's case, the way you're going to fight through it is being in the lineup," Mendoza said. "You can hit outside and hit early...but he knows how important he is for this team and we know how important he is and we're going to need him. We'll continue to help him and work with him. He's got a lot of potential."
Both Alvarez and Mendoza said that his at-bats have looked better in recent weeks, though both also admitted he looked off at the plate Tuesday.
“I feel like he’s on time for the fastball,” Mendoza said Wednesday. “Yesterday, I didn’t see that in particular, but I’m going to go back to the past week where I feel like he’s hitting the ball in the air and he’s hitting the ball hard. There’s 108, 105 [mph], something that we didn’t see early on when he got back from the injury. I like some of the takes, some of the breaking balls he’s taking. I know he’s working and I know it hasn’t been easy for him, but the one thing with Alvy is that he’s very positive and he’s going to continually grind through it.”
And Wednesday, Alvarez was still smiling. Patience, he said, doesn’t come naturally to him, but he leans on his family to keep him going.
“If I don’t believe it, no one is going to believe,” he said. “Even in my worst moments, I believe. I don’t care if [others don’t]. I still believe.”
Montas in limbo
Frankie Montas (lat) pitched in his sixth rehab appearance with Triple-A Syracuse Wednesday and allowed five runs and seven hits in five innings. He struck out two, walked one, and allowed a homer while throwing 80 pitches (47 strikes). While his rehab clock is set to expire on June 22, Mendoza didn’t commit to a return to the rotation, or even the active MLB roster. “We’ll see how he feels after today’s outing…then we’ll have a decision” on whether to activate him, Mendoza said. “First, he’s got to be 100% healthy, which, knock on wood, he keeps saying he’s fine.” Montas went into Wednesday with a 13.17 ERA over five minor-league starts.
Extra bases
The Mets have yet to announce Friday’s starter but don’t intend to have a pure bullpen day, Mendoza said…Mark Vientos (hamstring) was the DH and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Syracuse Tuesday. He was off Wednesday and will play third on Thursday…Brooks Raley (Tommy John) pitched in his first rehab outing Tuesday, allowing one hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning with Single-A Port St. Lucie…Brett Baty was kept out of the starting lineup for the second game in a row after exiting with a groin injury Sunday.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
