Mets’ Billy Eppler won’t reveal Francisco Álvarez plan but believes ‘he’s a catcher’

New York Mets' Francisco Álvarez could see major league action this year.

Billy Eppler isn’t showing all of his cards.

It’s unclear exactly what the New York Mets plan to do with catching prospect Francisco Álvarez.

Eppler told the New York Post’s Joel Sherman: “Yes, I believe he is a catcher. Because I have in-house data that shows improvement and strong receiving ability from Double-A, and that it was good from his limited time at Triple-A ... “I’m not going to say one way or the other; I wouldn’t say if I thought his bat was ready. I’m going to let time and the process of evaluation organically allow that to happen.”

SNY’s Andy Martino reported last week “Power-hitting catching prospect Francisco Alvarez is not in the full-time DH mix. The way the organization sees it, Álvarez needs to continue to develop as a catcher, which he will probably do in Triple-A at the beginning of the year. He might DH a bit in the big leagues, but cannot be counted on to fill the position on a daily basis.”

The 21-year-old Álvarez is the New York Mets’ top prospect. He’s also the No. 1 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

Álvarez made his MLB debut last season, getting 12 at-bats in five regular-season games and hitting .167 with one home run.

He also got one-at bat during the Mets’ three-game wild-card loss to the San Diego Padres.

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The Mets can afford to be patient with Álvarez. The club signed former All-Star catcher Omar Narváez last month to a one-year, $8 million contract with a player option for 2024 worth $7 million.

New York also signed Tomás Nido to a two-year, $3.7 million contract, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.

The deal, which covers Nido’s remaining arbitration years, pays $1.6 million in 2023 and $2.1 million in 2024.

And last month, the Mets traded James McCann to the Baltimore Orioles.

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Bridget Hyland may be reached at bhyland@njadvancemedia.com.

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