Mets Hitting Coach Gives Honest Assessment on Francisco Alvarez's Prolonged Slump

New York Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez shared his honest thoughts on the slumping Francisco Alvarez.

Aug 15, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pinch hitter Francisco Alvarez (4) runs into his own ground ball and is called out during the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It's said that chicks dig the long ball, but New York Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez doesn't appear to agree.

Chavez hit his share of home runs during a 17-year MLB career (260, to be precise) but he believes a focus on power has hampered Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez's quest return to form in front of the plate. Alvarez's struggles have been a roadblock in the Mets' Wild Card chase, which stands 2.5 games short of the Atlanta Braves entering Monday night.

“Everybody just wants to just jump into home runs. We’ve seen it across the league. We promote home runs. Batting average doesn’t get talked about," Chavez told Tim Healey of Newsday. “I said (to him), in a couple of years, you will be the best-hitting catcher in the league. But you've got to learn how to hit first. Let’s get your hit tool down and the power will come."

“It’s there. The power is in the bag. You gotta make sure that the hit tool and the consistency is there.”

Alvarez was the toast of Queens last week, as his dramatic walk-off solo shot gave the Mets a 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Since then, however, Alvarez is 0-for-16 and has reached base on three occasions, reaching on an error twice and walking once. The 22-year-old recently lamented his lack of power at the plate, telling Healey that he "(didn't) feel powerful" amidst the Mets' weekend set in San Diego.

Chavez believes a return to basics will work to Alvarez's benefit.

"I’ve been trying to tell him for the past couple of weeks (that) he’s a high-performance sports car,” Chavez said in Healey's report. “He needs to learn how to drive the sports car in second gear, because he’s got fourth gear, fifth gear and it goes. He just needs to learn how to pump the brakes a little bit and control all that horsepower."

Alvarez's next opportunity to get back on track lands on Tuesday when the Mets continue their western swing against the Arizona Diamondbacks (9:40 p.m. ET, SNY).