At Mets spring training on Friday, Buck Showalter discussed Francisco Alvarez’s development as the young catcher looks to break into the catching mix in Queens with Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido.
“Just another step in his process,” Showalter told reporters. “He made it up in the big leagues for a short stint and fought through some injuries. He’s getting more stripes on his arm.”
As Alvarez continues to gain experience and improve, Showalter did note that the organization’s top prospect will eventually have a chance to prove himself.
“At some point, he will get an opportunity,” Showalter added.
Despite two veteran catchers in front of him, Showalter encouraged Alvarez to approach this spring with big league aspirations.
“I think he’s going to approach it that way,” the manager said. “We look at every possible scenario. There’s ways that just about everybody in camp could make the team if something happened. We know Omar [Narvaez] and [Tomas] Nido are going to be our two catchers. We’ll see where Francisco fits in that mix.”
Alvarez and infielder Brett Baty are the two top young prospects to watch as spring training rolls on in Port St. Lucie.