Mets top prospect Francisco Alvarez 'ready to go whenever they need me'

Francisco Alvarez is not stranger to the 2022 MLB All-Star Futures Game. After mashing a solo home run in last year’s game in Colorado, the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball if back for this year’s game in Los Angeles on Saturday.

But when he appeared in last year’s game, Alvarez had just recently been promoted to High-A Brooklyn. This time around, the slugging catcher finds himself in Triple-A, right on the precipice of becoming a big-leaguer.

Before Saturday’s game, Alvarez was asked about being so close to fulfilling his childhood dream.

“Obviously, it’s always been a goal of mine since I was a little kid to reach the big leagues, and that still is the goal,” Alvarez said, via a translator. “For me, I try not to get too ahead of myself, but I’m here to help and ready to go whenever they need me.”

“[Moving up to Triple-A has] been great,” he added. “Honestly, it’s been a lot of new moments and meeting a lot of new people, but it’s really been an enjoyable time for me. I’ve really enjoyed it a lot.”

Signed by the Mets as an international free agent in 2018, Alvarez, now 20, has tantalized Mets fans with his raw power, blasting 18 homers with Double-A Binghamton before getting called up to Syracuse.

Alvarez, who has recently caught both Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom during their rehab stints, has been mentioned by fans and media members alike as a possible DH option for the Mets in the second half of the season, as the big-league club hasn’t gotten a lot of production from that spot in the lineup this season.

Alvarez still sees himself as an everyday catcher, but if being the DH is what’s needed of him, he’s more than happy to oblige.

“I think first and foremost, if that’s what the team needs then that’s what I would do,” he said. “For me, I see myself as a catcher and I think I am a catcher, so I plan on playing catcher in the big leagues. But if the team needs me to DH, then I’m more than happy to do that.”

MLB Pipeline recently elevated Alvarez to the No. 2 prospect in baseball. He trails only Detroit’s Riley Greene, who has already been called up and is 19 games away from graduating off the list, making Alvarez the soon-to-be top prospect in the game.

The hype on Alvarez is as strong as ever, with fans clamoring to see him in Queens as soon as possible, but Alvarez is sticking with his everyday routine and working hard every day to be ready for whenever that call comes.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m aware of it but to be honest I’m just more focused on the day-to-day,” he said. “I try not to get caught up in social media and whatnot. I do hear them and I appreciate it, but I just stay my day-to-day.”