Francisco Alvarez could be Mets' X-factor this season, but when will he get his chance?

At Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., with the team fresh off a 101-win season that preceded a record-setting offseason spending-wise as they attempt to capture their first World Series title since 1986, big names and personalities are not hard to find.

There's Justin Verlander, who is basically replacing Jacob deGrom in the rotation, bringing with him the 2022 American League Cy Young Award and a supreme confidence that comes through every time he speaks.

There's Max Scherzer, Verlander's former teammate with the Detroit Tigers, whose energy and intensity is palpable.

Kodai Senga is already reaching the high-90s during bullpen sessions and flashing his megawatt smile during media availabilities, while Edwin Diaz -- sporting new blonde hair -- talks about sticking with his lethal two-pitch mix and his plan to continue striking out the world.

Those are just the pitchers.

On the offensive side the Mets have Pete Alonso, who hit a rookie-record 53 home runs in 2019 and has followed that up by continuing to put up monster numbers year after year.

Then there's Francisco Lindor, who struggled for a decent chunk of his first season in Queens before being quite literally the seventh-most valuable player in baseball last season per fWAR.

New York also has Jeff McNeil (the 2022 batting champ who is fresh off a contract extension), Brandon Nimmo (one of the best two-way center fielders in the game who is entering the first year of an eight-year deal that could make him a career Met), and Starling Marte (coming of an All-Star 2022 campaign during what his his first year as a Met).

However, even with all of the aforementioned star power, it can be argued that the most intriguing player in camp is Francisco Alvarez, a 21-year-old who has 12 big league at-bats.

Alvarez, who arrived early to camp along with fellow prospect Brett Baty and lots of others, should impact the 2023 club. But it's not yet known when that will be.

At the Mets' complex, cameras are attracted to Alvarez everywhere he goes.

It could be refining his defense as he gets tutelage from a kneeling Omar Narvaez 15 feet away.

It could be launching baseballs into the stratosphere during batting practice.

It could simply be walking across the field.

Most of the intrigue around Alvarez has to do with what he can be if he reaches his upside, which is a catcher with outrageous raw power who could have a chance to win an MVP award one day.

In addition to his on-field attributes, Alvarez oozes confidence and has a huge personality.

He said before last year's spring training that he hoped to reach the majors in 2022, which most people scoffed at. Guess what? He made it.

He said a few weeks ago that his defense is ready and that he expects to be on the Opening Day roster this season. Some people view that as highly unlikely, and manager Buck Showalter made it seem unlikely while speaking about Alvarez on Friday.

Noting that the 21-year-old was continuing to add "more stripes" to his uniform as he continues to develop, the way Showalter answered a question about Alvarez's chances to make the team out of camp made it sound as if it was a long shot.

Should it be a long shot?

While Alvarez's power potential is huge -- and the Mets are still in serious need of more offensive punch because the Carlos Correa deal fell through -- there are some possible roadblocks in his way.

The first revolves around Alvarez's defense, which he still needs to shore up a bit. It should also be noted that in addition to his offensive and defensive responsibilities, he will be one of the people responsible for managing a staff that includes Verlander and Scherzer -- so there will be a ton on his plate.

There are also some potential roster issues, specifically the presence of Daniel Vogelbach, Tommy Pham, and Darin Ruf, three players who are bat-first and don't offer much defensively.

Additionally, carrying Alvarez would require the Mets having three catchers on the 26-man roster, which isn't ideal.

Here's the other side of the coin as it pertains to Alvarez...

To put it simply, when he's ready, he's ready.

The Mets should not allow the presence of the Vogelbach/Pham/Ruf trio (and Ruf could be traded sooner than later) to keep Alvarez off the roster.

The most complicated thing here will likely be figuring out what exactly Alvarez's role will be when he makes it.

He won't be catching every day (nor should he, since the Mets can give his body a rest by utilizing the DH spot), but he absolutely cannot be called up to be a DH only since that would stunt his defensive development.

A happy medium, and perhaps the best way to ease Alvarez into the role of the regular catcher, would be to have him catch two or three times a week while serving as the DH a few times a week.

My guess is that Alvarez will have to wait a bit to make his impact in the majors this season. Maybe that means May, or perhaps it's June.

But if Alvarez is a force at the plate this spring and gets his defense to a place where the Mets are comfortable enough to trust him behind the plate, all bets should be off and he should be on the Opening Day roster.