PORT ST. LUCIE — Francisco Alvarez stood at his locker Sunday with an interpreter nearby just in case, but determined to understand and answer questions from a group of reporters in English.
Asked if he thought of the upcoming season in terms of how many home runs he can hit, the Mets catcher offered a divergent response.
“How many games I can win,” he said.
The 22-year-old Venezuelan has been entrusted with plenty, starting with the handling of a rebuilt pitching rotation and controlling the opposition’s running game.
Then there is the matter of offense, where last season, as a rookie, Alvarez demonstrated he has the potential to shine among the best at the position.
The Mets received more last season than they might have expected from Alvarez, who originally didn’t factor significantly into the 2023 plan.
Now the Mets will count on him, with expectations rising.
“What I’ve seen is he’s really invested in the pitching staff,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “This is a guy that is continuing to learn, continuing to build those relationships with the pitchers and pitching coaches. That is important, especially for a player his age — his willingness to continue to get better.”
Alvarez was a novelty in spring training last year, but was viewed as a player in need of further seasoning at Triple-A Syracuse as the Mets formulated their Opening Day roster.
But the Mets were left short only a week into the season when Omar Narvaez was replaced on the injured list with a left calf strain, necessitating Alvarez’s recall.
The rookie had a breakout May and by the time Narvaez returned the following month it was clear Alvarez was the better option for an underperforming team that needed a spark.
In a choppy season — he slumped badly in June and August — Alvarez finished with a .209/.284/.437 slash line with 25 homers and 63 RBIs in 123 games.
But it was a season of adjustments for Alvarez, who had plenty to absorb.
“In the minor leagues, sometimes when I was playing, my mind was not 100 percent into the game,” Alvarez said. “Last year, I learned you have to think 100 percent. I can’t think about my family or other things. I have to think about the game every day.”
It was a lesson learned, he said, by playing regularly in the major leagues.
Alvarez has deemed his throwing an area in which he needs to improve.
Last season he threw out 15 of 99 (13 percent) runners attempting to steal against him. The MLB average was 19 percent.
To that end, Alvarez is working this spring on throwing from a more upright position.
“Last year, I was not that good [throwing] and I want to get better with that,” Alvarez said. “I am working on the transfer and moving my feet and I want to use my two feet up when I throw to second base. Last year I used one knee down and it was a little bit harder.”
Alvarez said he cherished handling Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander for much of last season — both pitchers were traded after the All-Star break — and learned from those aces.
“For this year it will give me a little bit more confidence with the other pitchers, because Justin and Max are Hall of Fame pitchers,” Alvarez said.
The Mets still have Narvaez as a backup, but the show will mostly belong to Alvarez.
“It’s not easy to come up to the big leagues with such expectations,” Mendoza said. “Playing that position is so demanding. The pitchers, there were a lot of veterans, and he handled it really well.”
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