Alvarez down, Senger up

[Bob Alpacadaca]

Hopefully this is just a short stint to clear his head and get him back on track.

[Cowtipper]

Francisco "Ike Davis" Alvarez == overhyped one-year wonder.

See ya, nerd!

[kcmets]

Hopefully some Saranacs and salt potatoes will fix him up soon.

[Cowtipper]

I didn't realize salt potatoes were a uniquely Central/Western NY thing until just this moment.

[Chad ochoseis]

Hopefully some Saranacs and salt potatoes will fix him up soon.

 

And some of Fman's live guitar.

I've been doing a lot of traveling and am just starting to watch the Mets again. Alvy has looked lost at the plate. I assume that, since he's still better than Senger, this is just a chance to get him to figure it out in Syracuse and he'll be back up in a month or two.

Ike Davis was a completely different story. Valley fever affected him long term. If he'd stayed healthy, he probably wouldn't have been a superstar, but he had a good chance at a perfectly solid Adam LaRoche type career.

But, yes, we have Torrens now, just like we had Duda then. And Pete when first baseman of the future Dom Smith turned out to be a flash in the pan. And DeGrom, when Rafael Montero did likewise. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Quantity is better than perceived quality when you're counting on prospects to pan out (yeah, I know - Torrens wasn't exactly a prospect).

[Frayed Knot]

Hmmmm. One day after his loooonnnggg HR last night.

But, as I posted in Saturday's IGT, not only does he just have 29 hits this year (.236 BA) but 23 of those hits are singles (3 2Bs, 3 HRs).

So even though his current BA is right in line with his career norms, the isolated Power (Slg Avg - BA) is WAY down.

For '23 & '24 combined his IsoP was right at 200 where this season it's exactly 100 even with last night's HR factored in.

With MLB average typically around 150 (currently 153) that's a big fall.

Put another way: 100 puts you slightly below where Torrens is this season. 200 puts you up there with Nimmo and Lindor who have 58 XBHs between them (29 each).

[batmagadanleadoff]

With the Mets looking like a serious contender, they felt they could not wait longer for Alvarez to attempt to figure things out at the major-league level. It was time to take action.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6443580/2025/06/22/mets-francisco-alvarez-optioned/

If anybody still can't figure it out yet, this is the downside to giving somebody with Brett Baty's utterly execrable track record -- one good week and a half stretch in four seasons, hundreds and hundreds of plate appearances. Because the Mets are a serious contender.

[ashie62]

I thought he would hit with solid power and above average defense and he did for one year

Letting balls get past him got out of hand. I still think he's too much an "ankles and elbows" guy on the field. He's all over the place

He can take a deep breath and refine his game at 3A

He's still very young and especially so as a catcher.

He's not a hopeless case

[Lefty Specialist]

Don't get me started on Baty again. He mashes in the minors but just can't put it together in the majors.

When Vientos comes back, I'd imagine Mauricio will go down for more seasoning. But my ideal lineup has McNeil playing second every day with Acuna as the defensive replacement, and Vientos at third every day with only an occasional Baty defensive appearance, and Taylor playing CF every day (no defensive replacement needed). Playing McNeil in CF scares me, and it's going to blow up on them at some point. Siri seems worlds away, though.

I do hope that Alvarez gets his head straight in Syracuse, because ML pitchers look at the vicious uppercut swing and know just how to throw to him.

[Cowtipper]

Baty and Acuna need to be sent down, too. They're both underwhelming and a Quadruple-A guy from Syracuse wouldn't be any worse than either of them right now, but who knows, he could very well be better.

[Fman99]

My daughter is happiest about Alvarez being sent up to AAA as she has long crushed on him. Alas his rehab on the roster will start on the road as they are in Rochester this week. Fboy and I will be catching a game there with Seawolf on Tuesday

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

ZZZuber!

[Gwreck]

But my ideal lineup has McNeil playing second every day with Acuna as the defensive replacement, and Vientos at third every day with only an occasional Baty defensive appearance, and Taylor playing CF every day (no defensive replacement needed).

 

Agree except Acuna should be the occasional defensive replacement for Vientos.

Even once Vientos comes back — with Acuna, Baty, Taylor, Torrens, and Young, there are just way too many players who don’t hit nearly enough. Taylor and Torrens get to stay because they play premium positions, and I guess Acuna has value with the glove/speed — so Baty and Young need to go.

[kcmets]

This made me laugh re: Senger:

"The 28-year-old backstop can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats."

[Cowtipper]

Baty and Acuna need to be sent down, too. They're both underwhelming and a Quadruple-A guy from Syracuse wouldn't be any worse than either of them right now, but who knows, he could very well be better.

 

.....and just like that, Acuna has been sent down and Travis Jankowski has been called up. Welcome back, Travis!

[Edgy MD]

Francisco "Ike Davis" Alvarez == overhyped one-year wonder.

See ya, nerd!

 

I am guessing nobody ever ever ever calls him that.

[Cowtipper]

Nerd? You are correct, I think I am the first.

[Fman99]

Headed out to Rochester tonight to catch my first ever Syracuse Mets road game, with Fboy in tow, and hang out with Seawolf there.

Expect to see Vientos, Acuna and Alvarez all in the lineup. Justin Hagenman scheduled to pitch.

[Edgy MD]

Please remind Álvarez and Acoonie that the Mets are winless without them.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I can only hope, pray really, that Senger is a clutch hitter. If not, maybe the Mets need to trade for a clutch hitter. Not merely a good hitter or even a great hitter. But a good and great hitter who can, in addition, hit in the clutch. They should trade for a wizard, too. I wonder if the Kansas City Chiefs have any good clutch hitters that they can spare? Or wizards. I'd settle for a magician.

[Frayed Knot]

Alvarez, who was optioned amid offensive and defensive struggles June 22, reported to Syracuse and made adjustments on both sides of the ball that he hopes will translate to the majors.

In 19 games with Syracuse, Alvarez demolished 11 home runs — including another one Sunday, which was his seventh in his past six games.

 

So that's seven HRs in a six game span in AAA for Alvarez vs six XBHs (3 2B, 3 HR) in a 35 game span in MLB

It would be nice if some of that translates to the higher level because his profile is starting to trend towards that of a low-BA/low-OBA catcher with occasional puncher's power.

And that kind of profile is usually how they refer to ML backup catchers, except that those backups are also usually top-notch defensively which F.A. is not.

He's still young (24 in Nov) so none of this is set in stone. But you don't want to see him top out at as a poor-defensive feast/famine backup or as one with a rep as a AAAA hitter.

[Centerfield]

His BA is AAA is .268. Which I guess is not considered low anymore. I think some of that was during his rehab stint, but you’d take that. Plus his OBP is .366. Which is also fine.

What struck me is all of the clips I saw of his AAA HRs is that they seem to be middle in. I’m skeptical he’ll see any of those pitches when he gets back to the bigs. Would be helpful to know what he did with sliders away during this last month.

[batmagadanleadoff]

His BA is AAA is .268.

 

But .299 (20 for 67) since his demotion last month. I hope his AAA HRs came with Syracuse trailing because what's the point if he's only gonna hit homers with the Mets tied or already ahead? What the Mets should do going forward whenever they try out new hitters is to set the scoreboard so that the Mets are ahead by a few runs for the first 10 or 20 pitches. Then for the next 10 or 20 pitches, they should set the big outfield scoreboard to show the Mets trailing by three or four runs. Then the Mets should pay real close attention to what the batter does with the scoreboard showing the Mets losing. That's how to scout a player!

[MFS62]

He was also sent down to work on his defense, and he's had 4 passed balls and at least one error during that time. And in some of those games, he was a DH.

So we'll have to see how much he has improved behind the dish.

But if his bat is anything close to his recent numbers, he will be a welcomed addition.

Later

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

He was also sent down to work on his defense, and he's had 4 passed balls and at least one error during that time. And in some of those games, he was a DH.

So we'll have to see how much he has improved behind the dish.

But if his bat is anything close to his recent numbers, he will be a welcomed addition.

Later

 

Sproat and McLean both had some of their best games of the season with Alvarez calling the games behind the dish.

[Frayed Knot]

His BA is AAA is .268. Which I guess is not considered low anymore. I think some of that was during his rehab stint, but you’d take that. Plus his OBP is .366. Which is also fine.

 

But his ML BA/OBA, after pieces of four seasons and nearly 1,000 trips to the plate, is .223/.298 with only his power getting his OPS+ close to average (98). That kind of low-average/decent power numbers profiles more as a perpetual backup catcher (only without the good defense) and in this season even the power wasn't there (29 hits / 23 singles).

Now the 2025 numbers are a small sample size which might have justified him being sent down but shouldn't be tagging him as a career second string label, especially for one still just 23 y/o. But what I am saying is that, at some point, he'll need to show he can improve or risk getting hung with a rep as a platoon C/DH vs LHPs or, even worse, as a AAAA player who'll bounce around looking for work in between getting released on a regular basis. So there's still time for him (especially seeing as how his FA year just moved one year further away) but there's also no time like the present for him to get going.

[kcmets]

I don't know, of course, but to look at Alvarez sometimes he looks he'll

be 28 this offseason instead of 24.

Edited July 21, 2025 by kcmets

[ashie62]

He was also sent down to work on his defense, and he's had 4 passed balls and at least one error during that time. And in some of those games, he was a DH.

So we'll have to see how much he has improved behind the dish.

But if his bat is anything close to his recent numbers, he will be a welcomed addition.

Later

 

Sproat and McLean both had some of their best games of the season with Alvarez calling the games behind the dish.

 

That's encouraging. I still see him as Yogi Berra in LF at some point

[Centerfield]

His BA is AAA is .268. Which I guess is not considered low anymore. I think some of that was during his rehab stint, but you’d take that. Plus his OBP is .366. Which is also fine.

 

But his ML BA/OBA, after pieces of four seasons and nearly 1,000 trips to the plate, is .223/.298 with only his power getting his OPS+ close to average (98). That kind of low-average/decent power numbers profiles more as a perpetual backup catcher (only without the good defense) and in this season even the power wasn't there (29 hits / 23 singles).

Now the 2025 numbers are a small sample size which might have justified him being sent down but shouldn't be tagging him as a career second string label, especially for one still just 23 y/o. But what I am saying is that, at some point, he'll need to show he can improve or risk getting hung with a rep as a platoon C/DH vs LHPs or, even worse, as a AAAA player who'll bounce around looking for work in between getting released on a regular basis. So there's still time for him (especially seeing as how his FA year just moved one year further away) but there's also no time like the present for him to get going.

 

Agree with everything you said. Just suggesting that if he could somehow duplicate his AAA average and OBP from this tiny stint at AAA, this would go a long way toward fighting that stigma you describe.

In any case, I look forward to having Alvarez back. Even if he just duplicates his 2025 production so far, it will be an improvement over Torrens (.534 OPS over his last 28 days).