Francisco Alvarez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez revamped his swing in the offseason with help from former Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez. "He wants to be a complete hitter, not just a power hitter," manager Carlos Mendoza said. Alvarez hit 25 homers as a rookie in 2023, but he hit just 11 last year in 342 plate appearances. He slashed .185/.237/.274 in July and August, but he rebounded with a .900 OPS and five long balls in September. In the offseason, the 23-year-old backstop said he worked on his stance, use of his hands and lower-body movements with his swing. He had a tendency to "spin out" and step towards third base with his swing as opposed to stepping back up the middle. Alvarez hopes the changes improve his plate discipline and help him hit the ball up the middle more. Using the field more could make Alvarez a nice bounce-back candidate, as will being healthier after he missed seven-plus weeks with a torn UCL in his left hand.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez collected three hits on Friday night, including an RBI single, in the Mets' 12-6 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was Alvarez's best performance of the postseason and helped improve his subpar playoff stat line to a more tolerable .225/.262/.512 slash line. His presence at the bottom of the lineup helped give New York strength throughout their entire lineup that produced thoroughly on Friday. As a steady presence behind the plate for New York the entire postseason, Mets fans and DFS players should expect Alvarez to be behind the plate on Sunday once again. The Dodgers have yet to name a starter but the expectation is that they will roll out a bullpen game. DFS managers may want to take caution when adding Alvarez to their lineups and not buy too high on Friday night's performance.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (back) left Friday night's game early against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field due to back spasms, according to the team. Alvarez looked to be in considerable pain after sliding into third base in the seventh inning and was replaced by Luis Torrens. Before leaving, he went 0-for-1 at the plate with two walks, a run scored and a strikeout. The 22-year-old backstop was helped off the field by trainers and probably isn't going to be ready to play in Game 2 of the series on Saturday. It's a terrible time for one of the Mets' better players to get hurt as they seek one of the last two wild-card spots in the National League. Torrens would become the primary catcher for the Mets if Alvarez needs more time off. Overall, it's been a disappointing season for Alvarez in 2024 after he hit 25 bombs and drove in 63 in 2023. This year, he's hitting .234 with only 11 homers and 44 RBI in his 96 games played. After two more games in Milwaukee this weekend, the Mets face the division-rival Braves on Monday in a doubleheader that could decide the final wild-card team.