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New York Mets promote top prospect Francisco Alvarez: How it impacts massive weekend series vs. Braves

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Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have decided to finally promote catcher Francisco Alvarez with a week of games left in the MLB season. While the move may seem confusing, it is likely an attempt to gain a bit of an edge for what may be the team’s biggest regular season series in well over a decade.

On Friday night, the Mets will begin a monumental series against the Atlanta Braves that will likely decide who wins the NL East and gets an all-important first-round bye in the 2022 MLB Playoffs. New York has not seen a regular season set of games more meaningful than these in a very long time. And the fact that it comes against the defending 2021 World Series champions and the greatest villain in Mets history makes it all the more fitting.

With just six games left on the schedule, most rosters are pretty much set. However, on Thursday night the Mets pulled a surprise move and promoted Francisco Alvarez, the top talent in their farm system, and a player seen by many as the best prospect in all of baseball. The decision has been something the team has been hesitant to make all season, despite the 20-year-old backstop seeming ready for the big leagues months ago. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and New York wants to avoid a Wild Card series and a possible divisional-round matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Related: Former New York Mets All-Star catcher John Stearns dies at 71

While it is hard to put high expectations on even the best of prospects in the first week of their career, the Mets’ move is one that actually could pay major dividends against the Braves this weekend.

How Francisco helps New York Mets in Atlanta Braves series

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Credit: MLB photos via USA TODAY Sports

Alvarez is a catcher by trade and projects to hold the team’s starting spot in upcoming seasons. However, do not expect him to get much action there in the final six games of the season or in the playoffs — barring unforeseen injuries to James McCann and Tomas Nido. No, the Venezuelan is on the big league roster just to hit, and he has shown an elite-level talent at that in the minor leagues.

In 2022, Alvarez split time between the organization’s Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse squads. For some top prospects, a switch in level can lead to a performance decline and then a resurgence in the following season. That wasn’t the case for Alvarez this summer. While he did hit a slight slump in Triple-A, he nonetheless finished the season with a combined .260/.374/.511 slash line, 27 home runs, and 78 runs batted in over 112 games (via MiLB.com). However, he finished the season red-hot by hitting .371, with a 1.107 OPS, and three home runs in his final 35 at-bats.

That is important because the Mets do not have a specific player they can rely on every night at the designated hitter spot. The position has been a strict platoon all season, and they even made two MLB trade deadline deals to improve the position. Right-hander specialist Daniel Vogelbach has been strong for the team since being acquired from the Pirates. He has hit over 100 points better against righties, with 17 homeruns, this season.

Unfortunately, Darin Ruf has been less productive in being the other part of the DH combo, hitting just .175 in August and .103 so far in September. The team promoted Mark Vientos this month in the hope that he could make up for Ruf’s failings, but he has also underperformed. Their performance has opened the door for Alvarez to come in and possibly help the Mets win an NL East title for the first time since 2015.

Alvarez is likely to get the start on Friday when the Braves send ace and left-hander Max Fried to the hill. Righties will start in the second and third games of the series, but don’t be surprised if the rookie is called upon as a pinch hitter if the Braves send in talented relievers AJ Minter and Tyler Matzek for key moments late in games.

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