Francisco Alvarez, Endy Rodriguez’s success is win for Mets’ player development
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Monday’s recreation at Citi Discipline represented a victory for coaches in Mets improvement, if not for the broader entrance workplace.
The beginning catchers for the Mets and Pirates had been a pair of extremely touted prospects who soared into the majors.
Just a few years in the past, Francisco Alvarez and Endy Rodriguez had been teammates, sharing catching duties with the Gulf Coast League Mets in 2019.
Alvarez hit Rookie League first, pounded each stage of the minor leagues and has been the perfect Mets discovery this season, a budding star catcher at simply 21 years previous.
Rodriguez took a distinct path.
A world signing of the Mets in July 2018 out of the Dominican Republic, the catcher carried out at low ranges in ’18 and ’19 earlier than he was despatched to the Pirates for Joey Lucchesi in January 2021.
Considered as a little bit of a lottery ticket, particularly after he (and most prospects) weren’t seen through the canceled 2020 minor league season, Rodriguez already has paid off.
He dominated Class-A pitching in 2021, saved hitting and touched Triple-A final yr, earlier than debuting within the majors in mid-July.
The 23-year-old swap hitter is the Pirates’ No. 3 prospect, in line with MLB Pipeline, and owns a decent .712 OPS after going 0-for-4 in his first recreation at Citi Discipline, the place he performed towards the staff that signed and dealt him.
“Actually good group,” Rodriguez mentioned of the Mets earlier than the 7-2 Mets victory. “They deal with the gamers, in baseball and out of baseball.”
He didn’t take the commerce personally — “it’s a enterprise” — and was excited to see Alvarez once more.
“This man’s loopy, I like him,” mentioned Rodriguez, who remembered his GCL days along with his pal. “His first homers, these had been loopy. He was simply 18, 17? However lengthy homers.
“All people was,” Rodriguez mentioned earlier than popping his eyes out and dropping his jaw.
Lucchesi, in the meantime, pitched in eight video games with the Mets in 2021 earlier than requiring Tommy John surgical procedure that knocked him out till this yr.
The lefty has spent most of his season with Triple-A Syracuse and pitched to a 4.43 ERA in 5 video games with the Mets.
Starling Marte is feeling “loads higher,” he mentioned, and is hoping to return this season.
The outfielder, who not too long ago acquired an injection for his groin pressure, is eligible to be activated from the injured checklist Wednesday however will want extra time and, he believes, a rehab task.
“I believe it’ll be favorable for me to do this to catch my rhythm once more,” Marte, who added that irritation has gone down, mentioned by way of interpreter Alan Suriel.
Marte wanted offseason surgical procedure to restore separated groin tendons, and he has not seemed the identical this yr.
Even with the Mets out of the playoff race, Buck Showalter mentioned there may be incentive for Marte to return.
“Hope it occurs for him mentally slightly bit,” the supervisor mentioned earlier than addressing a doable shutdown. “We’re not at that time but.”
Marte ran sprints on the sphere earlier than the sport.
“I believe the most important worth is for me to be there, be outdoors, watching the sport and being a type of veteran leaders speaking to the younger guys and simply mentioning what they will do higher,” Marte mentioned.
Edwin Diaz (proper patellar tendon restore) has graduated to throwing off a mound — though not but off a rubber.
“He’s not standing on the rubber, leaping full throttle down a hill,” Showalter mentioned. “He’s throwing considerably downhill at sure factors.”
There may be nonetheless an opportunity Diaz returns this season, even when the video games is not going to matter.
“He’s proper the place he must be,” Showalter mentioned. “He’s assembly each benchmark and on the brink of be an impactful pitcher for us subsequent yr. And whether or not [pitching this season is] in the perfect curiosity … I’ll let the medical individuals [handle it], clearly with Edwin’s enter, and we’ll determine what’s finest.”
Lefty Josh Walker was positioned on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Aug. 13, with a proper indirect pressure.
In a procedural transfer, righty John Curtiss was referred to as up and subsequently positioned on the 60-day IL with a unfastened physique in his proper elbow.
Righty Sam Coonrod (lat pressure) was reinstated from the 60-day IL and pitched a scoreless inning.
Righty Jimmy Yacabonis cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse.
Pete Alonso (1-for-3 with an RBI double and a stroll) has 468 RBIs for his profession, tied with Keith Hernandez for tenth most in franchise historical past.
— Extra reporting by Joel Sherman
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