2025 Report Card: Francisco Alvarez, C

Francisco Alvarez

Player Data: Age: 23 (11/19/2001)  B/T: R/R

Primary Stats: 76 G, 277 PA, .256/.339/.447/.787, 63 H, 12 2B, 11 HR, 32 RBI, 32 R, 27 BB, 73 SO

Advanced Stats: 122 OPS+, 124 wRC+, 26.4% K%, 9.7% BB%, .321 BABIP, .333 xwOBA, 1.8 fWAR, 2.1 bWAR

2025 Salary: $795,000

GRADE: B-

2025 REVIEW

El Troll’s 2025 can be succinctly labeled as a mixed bag. It was a year filled with injuries, inconsistency, and even a mid-summer demotion to Triple-A Syracuse to reset both his approach at the plate and behind it. Yet within that turbulence, Francisco Alvarez showed flashes of the elite talent that once made him one of baseball’s most exciting young catchers.

Here are Alvarez’s numbers before his demotion and his rank among the 40 MLB catchers with a minimum 130 plate appearances at the time:

• 3 HR – T-31st
• 11 RBI – T-38th
• 9.4 BB% – 16th
• .303 xwOBA – 27th
• 90 WRC+ – 25th
• 0.3 fWAR – T-29th

Taken together, this performance was not what the Mets or their fans were expecting from the former top prospect. To make matters worse, Alvarez took a significant step back defensively, ranking in the 8th and 34th percentile in framing rate and blocking rate, respectively at the time of his demotion. The decline in his framing rate came as the most shocking, given where he ranked in 2024 (84th percentile).

Not yet seeing how the bag is mixed? Let’s start with how the young backstop handled his demotion. It would be understandable for a young player to feel discouraged after a demotion in their third full season in the bigs. But not Alvarez, who took the demotion on the chin and decided to lean into his highly lauded work ethic. After a three-game 0-9 start, the work ethic kicked in. Over the remaining 16 games of his time in Syracuse, Alvarez went on a heater, hitting 11 home runs alongside a .333/.420/.933/1.354 slashline. 

Beyond the numbers, Alvarez’s response to adversity showed real maturity. Instead of sulking over his demotion, he attacked his weaknesses and earned praise throughout the clubhouse for his focus and work ethic.

Once back in the bigs, he promptly continued his revamped approach and helped carry the Mets to several victories in the second half. Here are Alvarez’s numbers and his rank among the 30 MLB catchers with a minimum 130 plate appearances after July 20:

• 8 HR – T-7th
• 21 RBI – T-15th
• 10.1 BB% – 8th
• .362 xwOBA – 7th
• 157 WRC+ – 2nd
• 1.5 fWAR – 9th

Digging deeper into the metrics behind that surge reveals just how impactful Alvarez’s adjustments were, resulting in impressive career highs in a couple of key metrics. He posted a career high Average Exit Velocity of 93.1 MPH (94th percentile), which would have ranked fifteenth over the course of a full season. He also posted a career high Hard Hit Rate of 54.3% (95th percentile), which would have been good for twelfth in baseball over the course of a full season. 

His second-half counting stats don’t do Alvarez’s improvements at the plate justice due to him missing seventeen games at the end of August due to a sprained UCL in his right thumb and a fractured left pinky. Two injuries that he conservatively cut the time to recover from in half. 

The injury resilience and mechanical adjustments at the plate are worthy of much applause. However, Alvarez’s defense on the year took a hit.

Stat	2024	2024 Percentile	2025	2025 Percentile
Fielding Run Value	2	67th	-6	15th
Blocks Above Average	-20	2nd	-5	11th
Caught Stealing Above Average	0	57th	1	60th
Framing	7	84th	-5	16th
Pop Time	1.92 sec	83rd	1.93 sec	68th

Coming off a strong defensive showing in 2024, the only real area of defense needing clear improvement was Blocks Above Average. While he did improve in that aspect, in reality, he went from staggeringly bad to regular bad. Alvarez also marginally improved in Caught Stealing Above Average and only lost 0.01 seconds on his pop time. The real concern lies in his Framing rate, which has decreased in its effectiveness each year of his career (97th percentile in 2023). 

Some of Alvarez’s defensive regression may have been situational rather than purely skill-based. The Mets cycled through several new starters in 2025, forcing him to adjust to different release points and pitch profiles. That kind of constant change can make consistency behind the plate difficult for any young catcher finding his rhythm.

Given Alvarez’s injuries, clear offensive advancements, and defensive regression, a B- report card feels fair.

2026 PREVIEW

Shockingly enough, Alvarez does not turn 24 until November 19. For perspective, since 2000, of all of the catchers to earn a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, or All-MLB First/Second team, only five of those players amassed 800 or more plate appearances before turning 24-years-old. Those players are Salvador Perez, Yadier Molina, Joe Mauer, Ivan Rodriguez, and Brian McCann. Alvarez’s career plate appearances stand at 1,056; few catchers carry this kind of workload before turning 24. 

It’s understandable to be tapping your foot and looking at your watch when looking at Alvarez’s developmental arc. But it’s important to remember that since 2000, the average age of a player making their MLB debut has never gone below the age of 24, and that’s not even among catchers, who are typically the oldest position on the diamond.

Alvarez has shown flashes of something different each of the first three years of his career. In 2023, his rookie season, it was his power. In 2024, it was his defense. And in 2025, it was his overall hitting at the plate. The raw tools are there. If Alvarez can stay healthy and refine his framing, 2026 could finally be the year where power, defense, and maturity converge.

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