SAL Brooklyn Cyclones

'Baby Bull' ropes in top Mets MiLB offensive player honors

Published on September 28, 2021 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Brooklyn Cyclones News Release


Francisco Alvarez took home Mets Development Position Player of the Year in 2021 behind a sensational season at the plate and behind the plate.

Dubbed the "baby bull" by Brooklyn Cyclones manager Ed Blankmeyer, Alvarez literally stopped fans, players, and scouts in their tracks when he stepped in for batting practice and during the game. The ball off of his bat reverberated with a sound that few have made at his age and his level.

Alvarez, the 19-year-old catching prospect from Guatire, Venezuela, slammed a career-high 24 home runs in his first full season in the Mets organization. His performance excited so many that his position in baseball's Top 100 list updated from the €žâ€“38 prospect in baseball to the €žâ€“10 prospect in baseball in the middle of August.

While other prospect in the Mets system put together amazing years at the plate like infielder Mark Vientos and outfielder Khalil Lee, Alvarez's explosion in 2021 raised eyebrows towards his potential. With just 42 games under his belt and seven home runs to his name prior to this season, Alvarez raised his home run production from one home run every 26 plate appearances to one home run every 17 plate appearances by hitting 24 in 99 games.

For a player's first full season, including the grind of 400-plus plate appearances, bus rides, catching, and the constant toll on the body of every day at the park, coaches and front office members in player development hope that a player simply survives his first full season. In this case, Alvarez destroyed expectations.

Behind the plate, Alvarez had to deal with a rule change that limited catchers' abilities to limit the running game. At High-A, pitchers had to completely step off the rubber before throwing over to a base at hold runners on. Under that rule, Alvarez threw out just 19% of base runners. However, when the rule reverted to normal on July 13 and pitchers could hold runners on more effectively, Alvarez raised his caught-stealing percentage by 32% to 25% of base runners being thrown out.

Looking back at his year that featured an abundance of power, clutch hits and home runs, an appearance at the Futures Game (with a home run, of course), it's no wonder the Mets are looking forward to him continuing to bust through a limitless ceiling.

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