Francisco Alvarez Is Ready For A Leap to the Middle of the Mets' Lineup

The way Francisco Alvarez is barreling the ball right now is something we have not seen from him since his debut in 2022, and it is as advertised.

In 2023, Alvarez showed flashes of his 70-grade raw power that was bestowed upon him coming up in the New York Mets' farm system, hitting 25 home runs with a .431 slugging percentage. But that was still the tip of the iceberg with the young catcher; it was agreed that he had more power in the tank. Since then, Alvarez has gone through constant injuries that has limited his full potential. Finally, here in 2026, we're seeing the absolute best version of him.

In 15 games played so far this season, Alvarez currently ranks in the 97th percentile or higher in expected slugging percentage and barrel rate. His four home runs so far are a testament to his prodigious raw pop; Alvarez also has a .312 xBA, light years above his previous seasons.

The past two seasons, Mets fans have been dumbfounded as to where this consistent power went. Some of that blame could be passed onto former Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez, who notoriously critiqued Alvarez's power-focused approach. Chavez believed Alvarez needed to focus less on pulling the ball and swinging for the fences and focus more on hitting consistently and using all sides of the field. That's good advice in a general sense, but not exactly befitting of who the star catcher is. So far this season, Alvarez has a 45 percent pulled ball rate, and the results are not shocking to believe.

With the way Alvarez is playing and the way the Mets are struggling to win games, it might be time for Manager Carlos Mendoza to move Alvarez up in the lineup; he's mostly been used in the bottom-third of the order. In Saturday’s game against the A’s, Alvarez was moved up to the No. 6 spot. In that game, Alvarez went 2-4 with a 109 mph home run to center field. If Alvarez continues to hit the way he is right now, the cleanup spot might be calling his name sooner rather than later.

   

There are many reasons why the former No. 1 overall prospect in baseball has yet to fully break out. Whether it was hand injuries, bad slump, bad advice, or the quality play of Luis Torrens behind him. Now that Alvarez has found his groove at the plate, the Mets should take the training wheels off and let him fully enjoy the life of being a face-of-the-franchise slugger.