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Francisco Alvarez 2024 Player Outlook: Plenty Of Runway After Fine Rookie Season
11 months agoNew York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez was one of the better all-around catchers in baseball last season. His 2.7 fWAR tied him for eighth among catchers, even if his elite defense was the main factor. However, the bat has plenty of room to grow. In his age-21 season, Alvarez swatted 25 home runs, second-most among big-league backstops . However, he also hit just .209 with an 8% BB%. That said, his .222 BABIP was the lowest mark among the 31 catchers who made at least 300 trips to the plate in 2023. He posted such a low BABIP despite ranking in the 66th percentile in average exit velocity and 70th in hard-hit rate. Speaking to his walks, let's consider Alvarez walked in a whopping 17.1% of his plate appearances in 199 Triple-A plate appearances in 2022 while consistently posting big-time walk rates throughout his minor-league career. He's currently the 10th catcher being taken off the board around pick No. 147 but with some better batted-ball fortune and a reversion to his elite patience, he could creep toward the top five among big-league catchers in his sophomore season.
