Francisco Alvarez homered for the third straight game on Thursday night, and former teammates like Trevor May have taken to Twitter to express their lack of surprise at how much the rookie catcher has come around in his first full big-league season.
Alvarez, after a slow start, has his OPS up to .790 with 16 home runs on the year, with four of those home runs coming in the last five games.
But perhaps the most encouraging trend for Alvarez has been his steady defense, which members of the Mets organization reportedly worried about when gauging whether or not to make him the starting catcher.
As Evan sees it, those opinions were either not based in reality, or Alvarez has made an unparalleled leap in his defensive ability.
“Either he’s made incredible improvements over a short period of time, or the Mets have no idea how to evaluate their own guys,” Evan said. “Take your pick.”
Whatever the reason, Evan loved seeing Alvarez show some fire when he was hit by a pitch on Thursday night, then telling reporters that if a pitcher wants to send a message, they should try striking him out.
“I thought that was badass,” Evan said. “Francisco Alvarez is passing all the tests on what it takes to be a superstar.”
Joe B is just as high on the 21-year-old after his recent stretch.
“This kid looks like a star,” Joe said. “How many game-winning, game-turning home runs have we seen him hit this year?”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)