The highly anticipated debut for Francisco Alvarez finally happened in a New York Mets uniform and some are wondering if he will stick around.
While Alvarez did not get a hit or on base, he did have some hard contact against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
Unfortunately, one of those hard-hit balls resulted in a ground ball double play when the Mets had runners on first and second with no outs in a pivotal game for the National League East battle.
Also, Alvarez struck out swinging in the ninth with the bases loaded with a chance to tie the game.
That said, he will likely have a bright future in the MLB and with the Mets.
However, it’s unclear if Alvarez will get at-bats once the playoffs start this season.
Since all-star outfielder Starling Marte went down with a non-displaced fracture, the Mets have been looking for a right-handed bat.
So far, the Darin Ruf experience has been disastrous for the Mets, which gave up three prospects for him at the trade deadline.
And while Mark Vientos may have a bright future as well, his call up to the big leagues hasn’t worked out in the short term.
So that led to the Mets going bold and calling upon Alvarez for an opportunity.
He is ranked as the number one MLB prospect.
In the minors this year, Alvarez was batting .260 with an On-base plus slugging (OPS) at .885.
In the rest of the weekend series, there is no lefty pitcher scheduled to start for the Braves.
That means Alvarez could have limited at-bats – but could get an opportunity once the Braves go to the bullpen and bring in a southpaw.
And it might be tough to get playing time behind the plate given how catcher Tomas Nido has been swinging the bat as of late.
This month, there have been just three games that he’s had at least an at-bat where he hasn’t registered a hit.
And if Marte is ready to go come postseason time, Alvarez’s at-bats might come even scarcer.
But Alvarez is still only 20 years old and will likely get a bigger chance next year and in the future.
