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Francisco Álvarez (baseball)

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Francisco Álvarez
Álvarez with the Mets in 2024
New York Mets – No. 4
Catcher
Born: (2001-11-19) November 19, 2001 (age 23)
Guatire, Venezuela
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 30, 2022, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.221
Home runs37
Runs batted in111
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Francisco Javier Álvarez (born November 19, 2001), nicknamed The Troll,[1][2][3] is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Early life

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Álvarez was born in Guatire, Venezuela. Between his father, José, and mother, Yolanda, Álvarez had two older siblings and an older half-brother. His sister died when she was a teenager.[4][5]

As a youth, Álvarez developed his strength by working for his father's construction company. He dropped out of school to pursue baseball full-time at eleven years old, by which point he was already playing in international tournaments.[4] He later received his high school diploma via the New York Mets' Latin American baseball academy.[6]

Inspired by fellow Venezuelan catcher Henry Blanco,[7] Álvarez started catching at twelve years old.[8]

Professional career

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Minor leagues

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Álvarez signed with the New York Mets as an international free agent in July 2018.[9][10] 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.[11][12] 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.[13]

The Mets invited Álvarez to their spring training in 2021.[14] 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.[15][16][17][18] In June, Álvarez was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game,[19][20] in which he homered.[5]

Álvarez again participated in spring training with the Mets in 2022.[21]

Major leagues

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2022

Álvarez with the New York Mets in 2022

The New York Mets promoted Álvarez to the major leagues on September 30, 2022, and he made his major league debut as a designated hitter on the same day against the Atlanta Braves.[22][23] It was also the first Major League game in which he played catcher.[24] On October 4, 2022, after going hitless in his first eight at bats, Álvarez hit his first Major League home run, off of Washington Nationals reliever Carl Edwards Jr.[25] He was the youngest player to appear in the Major Leagues in 2022.[26]

2023

The Mets optioned Álvarez to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets to begin the 2023 season.[27] 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 Narváez.[28] He platooned with backup catcher Tomás Nido, and became the starting catcher after Nido was designated for assignment when Narváez came back. Álvarez hit .244 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs. He had two home runs on June 8 against the Atlanta Braves, making franchise history as the second youngest Mets player to hit three home runs in a two-game span since Darryl Strawberry.[29] 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.[30]

On June 10, during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Álvarez 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.[31] 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 4, Álvarez hit his 14th home run, a 467-foot shot to dead center off relief pitcher Miguel Castro, during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With this homer he broke the Mets record for most home runs by a rookie catcher, surpassing Travis d'Arnaud, Jason Phillips, and Todd Hundley.[32] On July 29, during a game against the Washington Nationals, Álvarez hit his 20th home run of the season, becoming only the second 21-year-old catcher to reach 20 home runs in a season. On September 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Álvarez hit his first career grand slam, off of pitcher Michael Plassmeyer.[33] In 2023, Álvarez played in 123 games for the Mets, batting .209/.284/.437 with 25 home runs and 63 RBIs.[34]

2024

On April 20, 2024, Álvarez was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left thumb sprain following a stumble while rounding first base in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.[35] Later that day, it was announced that he had torn a ligament in his left thumb and would need surgery. An eight–week recovery timetable was given for his return.[36] On May 28, five and a half weeks after tearing the ligament, it was announced Álvarez would begin his rehab assignment with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.[37]

On June 4, Álvarez caught all nine innings of the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones' first full no-hitter in franchise history.[38][39] The Mets activated Álvarez from the injured list on June 11 after Tomás Nido was designated for assignment.[40] On August 19, during a game against the Baltimore Orioles, Álvarez hit his first career walk-off home run, off of pitcher Seranthony Domínguez. At 22-years-old, he became the 3rd youngest player in Mets history to accomplish the feat.[41][42]

Álvarez played in 100 games for the Mets in 2024, batting .237/.307/.403 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI.[43]

Personal life

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Álvarez has several tattoos. He has cited the lion on his left arm as his favorite. His other tattoos include the word "grateful" on his neck,[6] the words "family first" and tributes to his parents and deceased sister.[citation needed]

When Álvarez came to the United States for his first professional season at 16 years old, his parents accompanied him to help ease the transition.[4] At that time, he spoke no English, and had to rely on older teammate José Butto to speak the language on his behalf. After studying diligently with Mets staff, getting help from coaches and teammates such as Brett Baty and doing mock interviews with SNY reporter Steve Gelbs, Álvarez was able to conduct live television interviews in English before the start of the 2024 season.[44]

References

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  1. ^ Sepkowitz, Leo (June 16, 2023). "The Baby Mets Are the Toast of Flushing. But Can They Stop the Mets from Metsing?". GQ Sports.
  2. ^ @SNY_Mets (April 9, 2023). "Francisco Álvarez earned a nickname from children in Venezuela during his teen years because of his imposing stature... EL TROLL makes his first start of the season behind the plate today" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Gilberto, Gerard (June 21, 2022). "The Road to the Show: Mets catcher Álvarez". MiLB.com.
  4. ^ a b c DiComo, Anthony (September 30, 2022). "Mets prospect Francisco Álvarez loaded with talent". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Kelly, Matt (September 29, 2022). "Everything to know about Francisco Álvarez ahead of his callup". MLB.com. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Serby, Steve (July 1, 2023). "Francisco Alvarez discusses Mets' loses, home runs, confidence". New York Post. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Alonso, Nathalie (May 20, 2021). "Mets prospect Álvarez 'impressive to watch'". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Kelly, Matt (March 31, 2023). "Who is Francisco Álvarez?". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  9. ^ "NY Mets give catcher Francisco Alvarez a $2.7 million signing bonus". Mycentraljersey.com. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Puma, Mike (November 3, 2020). "Francisco Alvarez Has The Right Hitting Approach". www.baseballamerica.com.
  11. ^ Martin, Dan (May 30, 2020). "Mets hope Francisco Alvarez can be catcher of the future". Nypost.com. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "NY Mets' Top 10 prospects: No. 3 Francisco Alvarez". Northjersey.com. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  13. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Cancelled".
  14. ^ "Mets announce 2021 Spring Training invites". Mlb.com. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "Mets top prospects 2022: Francisco Álvarez and Brett Baty are the big names in New York's farm system". January 4, 2022.
  16. ^ Thosar, Deesha (February 18, 2022). "Francisco Alvarez is aiming for 2022 MLB call-up; Mets add new coach". Daily News. New York. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  17. ^ Toscano, Justin (October 13, 2021). "After impressive season, when could Mets top prospect Francisco Alvarez be in the bigs?". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Puma, Mike (February 18, 2022). "Top Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez has major league goal". New York Post. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  19. ^ "Futures Game rosters are STACKED". MLB.com.
  20. ^ Davidoff, Ken (July 12, 2021). "Skilled Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez not pleased with viral bat-flip video". New York Post. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  21. ^ Rieber, Anthony (March 25, 2022). "Confident Francisco Alvarez making a deep impression on Mets". Newsday. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  22. ^ "Reports: New York Mets calling up top prospect Francisco Alvarez". ESPN. September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  23. ^ Terranova, Justin (September 30, 2022). "Francisco Alvarez hitting seventh in Mets debut". New York Post. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  24. ^ "Francisco Alvarez 2022 Fielding Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  25. ^ DiComo, Anthony (October 5, 2022). "Álvarez uncorks monstrous homer for 1st MLB hit". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  26. ^ "2022 Major League Baseball Awards, All-Stars, & More Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  27. ^ "Mets' Francisco Alvarez: Headed for Triple-A". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  28. ^ DiComo, Anthony (April 9, 2023). "Top overall prospect Álvarez recalled, debuts in finale vs. Miami". MLB.com.
  29. ^ "New York Mets' Francisco Alvarez Joins Rare Club in Team History". June 8, 2023.
  30. ^ "Francisco Álvarez Blasts Two More Home Runs - Metsmerized Online". June 9, 2023.
  31. ^ "New York Mets Catcher Passes Hall of Famer in Baseball History Books". June 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "Alvarez blasts Mets' longest homer of '23 to win game". MLB.com.
  33. ^ "Alvarez's grand slam (25) | September 30, 2023". MLB.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  34. ^ "Francisco Alvarez Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  35. ^ "Mets put catcher Alvarez (thumb) on 15-day IL". ESPN.com. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  36. ^ "Mets catcher Alvarez needs surgery on left thumb". ESPN.com. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  37. ^ "Alvarez set to begin rehab assignment". MLB.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  38. ^ "Francisco Alvarez catches historic Brooklyn Cyclones no-hitter". June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  39. ^ "Rehabbing Alvarez backstops no-hitter by Mets' High-A trio". MLB.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  40. ^ "Mets reinstate Francisco Alvarez from IL, designate Tomas Nido for assignment". Yahoo Sports. June 11, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  41. ^ "Alvarez absolutely CRUSHES 1st walk-off hit of his career". MLB.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  42. ^ Antonelle, Tyler (August 20, 2024). "Alvarez Clubs Walk-Off Homer in Mets 4-3 Win Over O's". Metsmerized Online. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  43. ^ "Francisco Alvarez Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  44. ^ DiComo, Anthony (February 25, 2024). "Alvarez's English-language journey from Chipotle to TV interviews". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
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