Confident Francisco Alvarez making a deep impression on Mets
Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez talks to the press during practice at the Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, Fla., on Feb. 18. Credit: Octavio Jones
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mets manager Buck Showalter called phenom Francisco Alvarez’s booming home run on Thursday night “a real big boy home run.”
Showalter couldn’t stop talking about the blast on Friday. “Anybody get a tale of the tape on Alvarez last night?” he asked.
When told the ball was estimated to have gone 441 feet off the left-centerfield scoreboard at Port St. Lucie’s Clover Park, Showalter said: “I want to see that in a day game with the wind blowing out. Maybe [the ball’s] in Field 1 over there?
“I wanted to ask the complex supervisor whether there was a light out on that thing today. Made a pretty loud sound.”
Alvarez, the 20-year-old catching prospect, already had made headlines in this camp when he said his goal is to make the majors this season. Apparently he isn’t shy about his predictions.
“I was taking to [bullpen coach] Craig Bjornson,” Showalter said. “[Alvarez] told Craig in the bullpen, ‘I’m going to get in this game, I’m going to hit a home run and I’m going to look at you coming around third base.’ Wonder what that feels like.”
In 2021, Alvarez hit .272 with 24 home runs and reached High-A Brooklyn. He probably will start this season in Double-A.
Megill goes fourth
In his second start of spring training, Tylor Megill was charged with two runs (both unearned) in 3 2⁄3 innings against the Astros on Friday night.
Megill was helped in the first inning by a run-saving, inning-ending diving catch in center by Stony Brook University product Travis Jankowski. But he wasn’t helped by two errors at third base by J.D. Davis.
Extra bases
Showalter said Starling Marte (oblique) and James McCann (back) could play in exhibition games as early as Tuesday . . . Taijuan Walker, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery, will debut on Saturday against Washington in relief of David Peterson.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
