Francisco Álvarez (baseball)

Francisco Javier Álvarez (born November 19, 2001), nicknamed The Troll, is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Early life
Álvarez was born in Guatire, Venezuela. Between his father, José, and mother, Yolanda, Álvarez had two older siblings and an older half-brother. His sister died when she was a teenager.

As a youth, Álvarez developed his strength by working for his father's construction company. He dropped out of school to pursue baseball full-time at eleven years old, by which point he was already playing in international tournaments. He later received his high school diploma via the New York Mets' Latin American baseball academy.

Inspired by fellow Venezuelan catcher Henry Blanco, Álvarez started catching at twelve years old.

Minor leagues
Álvarez signed with the New York Mets as an international free agent in July 2018. He spent his first professional season in 2019 with the Gulf Coast Mets and Kingsport Mets, batting .312 with seven home runs and 26 runs batted in (RBI) over 42 games with both teams. Álvarez did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mets invited Álvarez to their spring training in 2021. He split the season between the St. Lucie Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones, slashing .272/.388/.554 with 24 home runs and 70 RBI over 99 games. In June, Álvarez was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game, in which he homered.

Álvarez again participated in spring training with the Mets in 2022.

Major leagues
The New York Mets promoted Álvarez to the major leagues on September 30, 2022, and he made his major league debut as a designated hitter on the same day against the Atlanta Braves. After going hitless in his first eight at bats, Álvarez hit a 439 ft home run off of Washington Nationals reliever Carl Edwards Jr. It was also the first Major League game in which he played catcher. He was the youngest player to appear in the Major Leagues in 2022.

The Mets optioned Álvarez to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets to begin the 2023 season. His time in Triple-A did not last long, as he was recalled to the Mets on April 7 following a leg injury to Omar Narvaez. He platooned with backup catcher Tomás Nido, and became the starting catcher after Nido was designated for assignment when Narvaez came back. Álvarez hit .244 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs. He had two home runs on June 8 against the Atlanta Braves, making franchise history as the second youngest Mets player to hit three home runs in a two-game span since Darryl Strawberry (1983). Álvarez is also the 12th player in MLB history with at least 12 home runs in the first 46 career games under the age of 22.

On June 10, during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Álvarez passed Johnny Bench for the most home runs in the first 45 games played in a season for primary-position catchers at the age of 21 or younger. Álvarez's 13 home runs in 49 games is second to catcher Gary Sánchez (19). He also joined Will Smith and Evan Gattis, both with 13 home runs. On July 4, Álvarez hit his 14th home run, a 467-foot shot to dead center off relief pitcher Miguel Castro, during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With this homer he broke the Mets record for most home runs by a rookie catcher, surpassing Travis d'Arnaud (13 HR, 2014), Jason Phillips (11 HR, 2003), and Todd Hundley (7 HR, 1992). On July 29, during a game against the Washington Nationals, Álvarez hit his 20th home run (off Andrés Machado), becoming only the second 21-year-old catcher to reach 20 home runs in a season. On September 30, during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Álvarez hit his first career grand slam. In 2023, Álvarez played in 123 games for the Mets, batting .209/.284/.437 with 25 home runs and 63 RBIs.

On April 20, 2024, Álvarez was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left thumb sprain following a stumble while rounding first base in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Later that day, it was announced that he had torn a ligament in his left thumb and would need surgery. An eight–week recovery timetable was given for his return. On May 28, five and a half weeks after tearing the ligament, it was announced Alvarez would begin his rehab assignment with the Double-A Bingmaton Rumble Ponies. On June 4, Alvarez caught all nine innings of the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones’ first full no-hitter in franchise history.

Personal life
Álvarez has several tattoos. He has cited the lion on his left arm as his favorite. His other tattoos include the word "grateful" on his neck, the words "family first" and tributes to his parents and deceased sister.

When Álvarez came to the United States for his first professional season at 16 years old, his parents accompanied him to help ease the transition. At that time, he spoke no English, and had to rely on older teammate José Butto to speak the language on his behalf. After studying diligently with Mets staff, getting help from coaches and teammates such as Brett Baty and doing mock interviews with SNY reporter Steve Gelbs, Álvarez was able to conduct live television interviews in English before the start of the 2024 season.