{"id":59281,"date":"2023-07-07T16:00:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T20:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=59281"},"modified":"2023-07-07T09:02:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T13:02:28","slug":"new-york-mets-catcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2023\/07\/07\/new-york-mets-catcher\/","title":{"rendered":"Have the New York Mets Finally Found a Catcher After 17 Years?"},"content":{"rendered":"

17 years. 17 long years of the New York Mets<\/a> trying to find the answer at catcher. The Mets went through that position like the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets go through quarterbacks. Player after player after player. Veterans, prospects, castaways, guys out of their primes, you name it the Mets have brought them in to man that position. The reason? They couldn’t find a successor to a legend. Hall Of Famer and the greatest hitting catcher ever, Mike Piazza. From 1998-2005, Piazza was not only the guy behind the plate, but he was also the face of the Mets. During that time, if in the Bronx crosstown was Derek Jeter territory, Queens belonged to Piazza. The homerun-hitting catcher gave the Mets so many memorable moments for 8 years until the Mets let him go after the 2005 season. Since then, the Mets have tried to find a franchise catcher. Luckily for them, Francisco Alvarez answered the call.<\/p>\n

[metabet_core_side_odds_tile query=”mlb\/francisco_alvarez\/player_174491″ size=”350×300″ site_id=”lastwordonsports”]<\/p>\n

Have the New York Mets Finally Found a Catcher After 17 Years?<\/h2>\n

The names that have caught Mets pitchers over the past 17 years are ingrained in Mets fans’ minds. From Paul Lo Duca to Brian Schneider. Ramon Castro to Omir Santos. Josh Thole, Mike Nickeas, and Anthony Recker. Henry Blanco and Rod Barajas. Wilson Ramos to James McCann. However, the biggest disappointment of the bunch was Travis d’Arnaud. While d’Arnaud has carved out a solid career since leaving the Mets, including making the All-Star team in 2022, his Mets career saw offensive struggles and injuries. He was a top prospect that was supposed to be the answer, but he didn’t pan out. What Francisco A<\/span>lvarez is now to the Mets, is what they hoped d’arnaud would be. The Mets signed Alvarez in July of 2018 as a 17-year-old international free agent. Five years later, now as a rookie, he is taking baseball by storm.<\/p>\n

Francisco Alvarez Is Putting the New York Mets On His Back<\/h3>\n

In a 2023 Mets season filled with disappointments, Alvarez is one of the few exceptions. After being called up at the very end of the 2022 season and starting 2023 in Triple-A, Alvarez finally got the call back up to the big leagues after catcher Omar Narvaez went down with a leg injury. Alvarez would get off to a slow start, culminating in a poor at-bat in a big spot against the San Diego Padres<\/a>. Striking out to closer Josh Hader. One month later against the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>, Alvarez would get a shot at redemption. Hitting a game-tying three-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning with 2-outs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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FRANCISCO \u00c1LVAREZ HAS TIED THIS GAME WITH A 3-RUN HOMER! pic.twitter.com\/WgNLx71Z4W<\/a><\/p>\n

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 18, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n