Edgy MD wrote: What I love perhaps more than anything is the Groterian (Grotesque?) authority he takes over the staff. Long have I lamented that one of the hardest things about developing a catcher from your minor league system is that it's hard for a young catcher to take that role with veteran pitchers who have more experience than them, or with peers they've come up from the minors with, all while trying to hit enough to stick. The most authoritative catchers the Mets have had (Grote, Stearns, Carter ...) have all come from outside the system. But Álvarez gives no shits. He's controlling the at-bats and calling shots for his pitchers, and they seem to trust him to do so, and maybe fear him a little bit. Yeah, this is what's impressive even more than the hitting. This is a veteran staff and a 22-year-old kid is taking charge. I thought he'd be a hitting first, defense and gamecalling second and third. But he's all three. I love the way he snap-throws to first to keep runners honest. And he plays with a kind of joy that's fun to watch. He worked in the past with Yadier Molina, who, as much as we hate him, was probably the best catcher/field general of his generation. A lot of it seems to have rubbed off. It's no accident that Alvarez is #4.