QUEENS, NY — Francisco Alvarez was understandably down when the Mets demoted him to Triple-A last month.
The young catcher had not been able to put anything together offensively, despite revamping his approach at the plate, and his usually reliable defense had experienced a downturn, as well.
For a player that had already experienced the highs of what success at the MLB level could bring — he hit 25 home runs as a rookie in 2023 — this all could have gone in two very different directions, as president of baseball operations David Stearns assessed.
He could have nosedived with the demotion, and a poor attitude would have eventually derailed his development. That, of course, did not happen. The 23-year-old Alvarez reported to Triple-A immediately, spurned on by the words of encouragement from his long-time teammates, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos.
“When they sent me down, Mark and Brett both sent me messages because they saw how down I was,” Alvarez said. “But what they told me was ‘Hey, we know that you belong here. Just continue to work and we’ll see you soon.’ They, in a sense, lifted my spirits.”
This is how the dynamic of the trio once deemed the “Baby Mets” works. Coming up through the farm system together, they have combined to be teammates for the last six seasons: Baty and Alvarez played together in Kingsport in 2019. They were together in 2021 with Single-A Brooklyn before Baty was promoted to Double-A Binghamton, where Vientos was.
By 2022, all there were on Syracuse, where they had ridden the carousel between Triple-A and the majors.
Alvarez was a postseason call-up in 2022 before getting most of the 2023 season in the majors. He was joined by Baty and Vientos sporadically that year.
Last season saw Vientos run away with the starting third-base job after Baty struggled and was eventually sent down to Triple-A. All three players have rode the bus between the majors and the minors this season.
“It’s like a brotherhood,” Vientos told amNewYork. “It’s comforting to see guys by you that you grew up with in the system.”
So, with Baty and Vientos already in the majors, the news of Alvarez’s return after a torrid month in Triple-A, in which he hit 11 home runs in 19 games, was the best news they could have gotten.
“We all wanted him here,” Baty said. “For him to come back and have an impact is huge for us.”
Monday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels was the first time that Alvarez, Baty, and Vientos were in the lineup together since May 27.
“It feels really good,” Alvarez said. “Those are my brothers. The fact that we’re all here together is really special.”
Alvarez’s production has only made it sweeter. He went 1-for-2 with a pivotal eighth-inning double that set up the go-ahead runs in New York’s 7-5 comeback win over the Angels on Monday night.
On Tuesday, he launched a game-tying, two-run home run as the headliner of a three-run fifth inning that lifted the Mets to a 3-2 win.
“That was sick,” Vientos, who sees Alvarez’s success as his own. “It’s exciting that we’re all back here together. It’s just a cool feeling for sure.
