This was the Francisco Alvarez the Mets have been missing most of the past two years.
The one who could hit a huge double to the opposite field and play solid defense behind the plate.
He did both in his return to the majors Monday in a 7-5 win over the Angels.
It came after a monthlong stint at Triple-A Syracuse, a place the catcher thought he’d left behind when he hit 25 homers as a rookie in 2023.
A disappointing season last year and an even worse start to this one changed those plans, but prior to the game, Alvarez said he had no intention of going back — and had grown from the experience.
“The biggest thing for me is it changed me as a player,” Alvarez said through an interpreter. “I think, personally, I focused on myself and worked on myself. It helped me become a better player, person and teammate.”
Alvarez looked right at home again at Citi Field, greeted by a loud ovation from the crowd as he came to the plate in the second inning and again after a double in the eighth (thanks to a misplay by Chris Taylor in right).
“It felt really good,” Alvarez said of the reception. “All the struggles I had earlier in the season, the way they kept supporting me and received me today, I appreciate it.”
He also caught Zach Neto trying to steal second in the seventh and made a nice tag to get Mike Trout at home later in the inning.
The Mets made the drastic move to option the one-time star June 22, looking for the 23-year-old to work on all aspects of his game.
They were impressed with his work at Syracuse, where Alvarez excelled for most of his stint.
“It’s not an easy situation, after being here at the big league level at such a young age,” Carlos Mendoza said of Alvarez’s demotion. “It’s kind of a wake-up call to go back down to the minor leagues.”
It seems that’s the way Alvarez took it, as Mendoza noted his power to the opposite field, two walks and improved blocking skills behind the plate.
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“He deserves to be here, and he deserves to get some runway,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said before the game.
“Being down in Triple-A helped me learn how to be patient,” Alvarez said of his approach to the game. “I had to put in the time to eventually get back to the big leagues.”
Alvarez had a 1.233 OPS in 19 games at Syracuse after struggling in the majors following a significant swing change in the offseason, followed by a fractured hamate bone in spring training.
He finished off his time at Syracuse with seven homers in his final six games before being recalled, with Hayden Senger headed to Syracuse after he and Luis Torrens failed to produce for the Mets.
“First and foremost, we wanted to see how [Alvarez] responded to the challenge we gave him of being sent down,” Stearns said. “I’ve seen it go both ways: I’ve seen players sulk and seen them turn the corner and work to get back.”
Stearns said Alvarez fell into the latter category from the start, reporting to Triple-A “immediately,” even though the team would have given him even more than the full 72 hours required if he needed to clear his head.
“He understood and recognized the way he performed at the major league level on both sides of the ball was not who he was,” Stearns said. “And he took the opportunity away from the bright lights and cameras and pressure of the major league environment to work and improved very rapidly. This happened faster than I would have envisioned when we optioned him.”
They saw Alvarez’s improvement offensively and defensively but opted to give him another series following the All-Star break before moving him back up.
Alvarez said the work paid off.
“I feel balanced right now,” he said. “I feel exactly where I need to be.”
Mendoza made it clear Alvarez is the starting catcher: “He’s gonna play. … We need him. We know how important he is for this team.”
And Alvarez acknowledged that opposing pitchers had figured out how to attack him.
“The league made the necessary adjustment,” Alvarez said. “I made a lot of adjustments to my swing. At the moment, they helped me. Now, I figured out who I am as a player and a person.”
He intends for that not to include any more minor league time.
“It’s real important for me [to stay in the majors],” Alvarez said. “It’s like when you stumble on a rock. You don’t want to stumble again. You want to continue to move forward.”