Mets Minors 2022 Top Hitter: Francisco Álvarez

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Surprise, surprise: Francisco Álvarez is Mets Minors’ Top Hitter of 2022. The award came down to a three legged race between Álvarez, Brett Baty, and Mark Vientos, but Álvarez won out.

Álvarez, a consensus top prospect in baseball, he tore through the Mets system in 2022, culminating in his Major League debut in late September and his first Major League home run at Citi Field.

Álvarez, who turned 21 in late November, began the 2022 season in Double-A Binghamton where he crushed to the tune of a .922 OPS with 16 homers. After 67 games in Binghamton, Álvarez received a promotion to the Syracuse Mets, the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate.

The young catcher played 45 games in Triple-A, where he posted a .822 OPS with 6 long balls and an impressive .382 on-base percentage. The .382 OBP is notable considering he averaged just .234, showing an ability to still get on base and impact the game offensively when base hits are not falling.

His defense remains under scrutiny and is considered to be easily the weakest part of his game. However, the Mets seem to be ready to meet this task head on with the recent reported move of Glenn Sherlock to catching instructor. Plus, with reports also indicating that the front office could look to address the DH position internally, Álvarez could be a really effective option as a designated hitter too.

Álvarez has a strong case to make for breaking camp with the 2023 Mets but, even if he doesn’t, his time as the Mets’ full-time catcher won’t be far off and it should be his job to keep for the very long-term future.

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