Inside The Mets

Francisco Alvarez Becomes Baseball's Top Ranked Prospect

There's a new No. 1 ranked prospect in baseball and he happens to reside in the Mets' farm system.

Pat Ragazzo

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NEW YORK -  There's a new top ranked prospect in MLB and his name is Francisco Alvarez. 

Alvarez, who is one step away from the majors in Triple-A Syracuse, is no longer just the No. 1 prospect in the Mets' farm system, but now all of baseball. 

With Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene achieving official rookie status by notching 130 at-bats this season, this bumped Alvarez up from second place to head honcho on MLB Pipeline's Top 100.

Alvarez, who doesn't turn 21 until November, has the potential to become one of the best hitting catchers in the majors, given his special ability with the bat. While he still has some room for development defensively on the framing end, he should soon find himself in Queens, whether it be down the stretch of the regular season or early 2023. Mets catchers have struggled offensively this season, but the organization wants to see Alvarez put together sustained success in Triple-A, before he is considered for an MLB call-up. 

Alvarez is batting just .118 with one home run, eight RBI and a .598 OPS in 11 games with Syracuse since his July 4 promotion. However, Mets people know he has special talent and are confident he has the makeup to adjust, as he has consistently done at every level he has played at in the past. 

In 78 games between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this season, Alvarez has 19 home runs, 55 RBI and an .882 OPS. He also played in the Futures Game at Dodger Stadium on July 16. 

Now, he is the best prospect in the game. 

Read More:

- Sources: Mets Discussing Willson Contreras, David Robertson Package With Cubs

- Mets Focused on Other Options as Josh Bell's Market Intensifies

- Mets Among Teams Monitoring J.D. Martinez's Availability

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the reporter, publisher, site manager and executive editor for Sports Illustrated's Mets and Yankees On SI websites. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has been seen on several major TV Network stations including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is frequently heard on ESPN New York FM 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM as a guest. Pat also serves as the Mets insider for the "Allow Me 2 Be Frank" podcast hosted by Frank "The Tank" Fleming of Barstool Sports. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @ragazzoreport.

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