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Buck Showalter suggests Francisco Alvarez could spend the entire 2023 season in minors

Francisco Alvarez

Francisco Alvarez / Rich Storry – USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after the Mets optioned catcher Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A, manager Buck Showalter praised the 21-year-old’s growth defensively, noting that pitchers like to throw to him.

But when peppered with questions from reporters about whether Alvarez will force his way on the big league roster this season if he’s excelling in Triple-A, Showalter said “no.”

Asked specifically if he could envision Alvarez spending the whole season in Triple-A, Showalter’s response was interesting, blending support for Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido with a bit of a pumping of the brakes on Alvarez.

“I hope so, in some ways. That means that we’re doing real well and our catchers are healthy and doing well,” Showalter said about Alvarez possibly remaining in the minors all year. “I hope that’s the case. He’s got a chance to be called up in September.

“Anything else I said would be promoting the failure or the health of one of the guys that we have. And we like our two guys. They’re in the top seven or eight of catching in baseball. We’re lucky to have both of them. I hope at some point Francisco is as good as they are.”

Showalter deferred to GM Billy Eppler when asked about the possibility of Alvarez contributing in the bigs this season as a DH, but explained that he’s a good option and that “everything is on the table” when you’re trying to win.

March 3, 2023;  Port St.  Lucie, Florida, USA;  New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (50) walks off the field against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Clover Park

March 3, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (50) walks off the field against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Clover Park / Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

The manager also circled back to Alvarez’s need to refine his game behind the plate defensively while he’s in Triple-A.

“What he hits, I don’t really care what he hits,” Showalter said. “I just want him to continue to improve defensively.”

Showalter’s comments on Alvarez and when he might be called up this season could be viewed mainly as support for the two catchers who will be on the Opening Day roster. But they were remarkable when comparing them to his words earlier in camp, when he said it’s not a matter of if, but when for Alvarez.

The Mets have made it clear that they don’t plan to use Alvarez in a DH-only role in the majors, which makes sense since that would stunt his growth defensively. But they have not ruled out using him in a hybrid role where he would catch and DH — which makes sense for any catcher in order to keep them fresh.

Alvarez, who had a cup of coffee late last season with the Mets, hit .260/.374/.511 with 27 homers, 22 doubles, and 78 RBI in 112 games between Double-A Binghamton and Syracuse in 2022.

Narvaez is a career .258/.343/.386 hitter in seven seasons, and was an All-Star for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021.

Nido, who has had a strong spring offensively, is a career .220/.257/.323 hitter in parts of six seasons with the Mets, and has provided above average defense at catcher.