Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | NYM | C | 1 | 55 |
Grades Update: Feb 2021
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 60 | 55 | 55 | 50 | 60 | 40 |
Feb 2021 Report
Evaluator: Jake Martin
Age: 19 yr
Height: 5-11
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 IFA
RuleV: 2022
Physical Description: 5-foot-11, 220 pound frame. Stocky, sturdy build. Thick and powerful legs. Extremely compact. Most likely done growing but at age 19, he could still add strength. Quick feet and more agile than he looks.
Hit: Starts with a really wide base and a slightly closed stance. Hands start near his back shoulder and move back towards the catcher while simultaneously using a toe-tap trigger. Swings with a mostly level but slightly uppercut swing path. His back knee moves down through contact while he slightly locks out his front leg and leans a little bit over the plate. Despite this, it is a compact swing. These swing mechanics create hard pull side and weak opposite field contact on line drives and ground balls. Front leg lockout generally creates more power with less contact points in the zone. Alvarez does a good job balancing a swing with power potential and more than an average amount of contact points. Has slightly above average bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline. His back knee working down through contact allows his bat to stay in the zone longer. This somewhat offsets his front leg lockout and upper half lean over the plate which causes the barrel time in the zone to shorten. Above-average offensive production from the catcher position. Grade: 55
Power: Alvarez has a stocky 5-foot-11, 220 pound frame that assists with his power production. Compact swing gives his bat some juice. More gap-to-gap power than home run power but can certainly run into some home runs. Given he is still only 19 years old, he could easily gain additional strength and turn those extra base hits into home runs. Generally more pull side power but has potential to put the ball over the right field fence. Alvarez has more speed than the average catcher, however, speed does not generally contribute to his extra base hits. Grade: 55
Field: Behind the dish, Alvarez has average receiving and blocking skills. Passable as a catcher right now, can only improve from this point forward given his age. Perfect stocky frame for a catcher with plus athleticism and time to improve. Grade: 50
Arm: Alvarez continually clocked pop times below two seconds. Throws were accurate and carried to the base. In 2019, he threw out nearly 30% of would be base stealers. Arm really plays behind the plate. Grade: 60
Run: Alvarez hustles out of the box and runs pretty well for a catcher. Given his frame and the fact that speed only decreases with age; do not look for Alvarez to be a future base stealer. Grade: 40
Overall: A high priority sign of the 2018-19 international class, the Mets inked then 17-year-old catcher Francisco Alvarez for $2.7 million. The Venezuelan native thrived in an an aggressive stateside assignment that saw him more than hold his own over three rookie league levels in 2019. Alvarez features a well rounded impact profile that boasts potential above-average hit and power, along with solid average production behind the dish and a plus arm.
OFP: 55
Role: 60 - Above-Average Everyday Regular: Occasional All-Star
Risk: High
