Quote:
Originally Posted by dsvitak
I just don't understand the love for Alvarez. His strikeout rate is 40%..and that's in the MINORS.
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From the scouting reports (even during this season), he has a lot of intangibles that operations departments, even outside the Mets org, absolutely love. The words I've seen written and heard mentioned multiple times include "awareness", "personality", "relationships he builds with pitchers", "motivation", and more. At the plate, he has a ton of upside and has the tools to be one of the best hitting catchers in the bigs. His swing is very compact and when combined with his ability to transfer weight, Alvarez can hit the ball well to the opposite field gap.
I've heard he can't frame at all, which may not matter with automated balls / strikes on the way. He also has very inefficient throwing mechanics, which is somewhat ignore able thanks to his plus arm strength.
Could he be a bust? Sure, but he's got the raw ability and the mental makeup to succeed from what I can tell.