Mets catching prospect Francisco Álvarez is joining the club in case fellow backstop Omar Narváez has to go on the injured list, per a report from Mike Puma and Ted Holmlund of The New York Post. The latter was removed from yesterday’s game with calf tightness and replaced by Tomás Nido. The Mets will have an extra day to let Narváez rest and assess the situation since their home opener was postponed until tomorrow due to inclement weather, though Andy Martino of SNY adds that the club is not optimistic about Narváez avoiding the IL.
Álvarez, 21, is one of the top prospects in the sport and is generally considered to be ready for the majors when it comes to his offense. He hit 27 home runs in the minors last year and also walked in 14.1% of his plate appearances, leading to a .260/.374/.511 and 136 wRC+. He also got promoted to the big leagues late in the year, getting into five regular season games and one postseason contest. He’s currently ranked among the top 10 prospects in the league by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, and just outside the top 10 at FanGraphs.
However, he’s still quite young and his glove is considered to be a bit behind his bat. He also struggled a bit in spring on the heels of October ankle surgery. All those factors led the club to option him to Triple-A to start the season, relying on the more established players in Narváez and Nido. If the tightness in Narváez’s calf doesn’t clear up and he needs a spell on the injured list, Álvarez might get another crack at the big leagues sooner than expected.
Some more notes from the National League…
- The Marlins got a bit of a scare yesterday when outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. departed their game against the Twins with an apparent injury. While sliding into second base on an attempted steal, his shoulder collided with the leg of Kyle Farmer. Chisholm was in obvious pain and left the contest after a visit from the trainer. The club later announced Chisholm’s injury as a stinger and listed him as day-to-day, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. A “stinger” is a burning or stinging sensation of the nerves in the neck and shoulder area. Though the initial situation may have caused some hearts to skip a few beats, it seems he’s avoided a significant injury, which is great news for the club. Chisholm had a huge breakout last year, hitting .254/.325/.535 for a wRC+ of 139, though he was limited to 60 games by a stress fracture in his back. He’s now attempting to make the challenging transition from second base to center field this year, an experiment that might be put on hold for a few days. Bryan De La Cruz replaced Chisholm in center yesterday and could get more time there, though Jesús Sánchez and Garrett Hampson could also be options.
- The Giants recently brought Gary Sánchez aboard on a minor league deal to bolster their catching depth and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi spoke to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle about the move this week. “We’re excited to see how he does,” Zaidi said. “At his best, he’s been one of the handful of best offensive catchers in baseball. If he can show signs of that kind of feeling, I think he can really be an impactful addition.” Sánchez hit .284/.354/.568 in 2016 and 2017 for a wRC+ of 143 but has fallen off from those heights in subsequent years. Since the signing, Joey Bart went on the injured list due to back tightness but isn’t expected to be gone long. In the meantime, Roberto Pérez and Blake Sabol are handling the catching duties, though Sabol is also playing some outfield and Zaidi admits that Pérez is “not an everyday player at this stage of his career, and we have to make sure that whoever we have complementing him can carry a pretty big workload as well.” The club will have to make a decision on Sánchez fairly soon, as he has a May 1 opt-out on his contract, which would come with a $4MM salary if added to the big league club. “We have a few weeks before we have to make a decision. It’s all about: Does he have the chance to bring it all together?” Zaidi said. “And if he does, it’d be pretty good.”
Chaz Jizzolm is the biggest baby in the sport. How the heck did he get on the cover of MLB the show?
Says the guy calling him a 12-year-old-toilet-humor level nickname.
I can’t take credit for this genius nickname. Originally coined by Keith: twitter.com/Jared_Carrabis/status/1629988677249122…
@BranAust: Doesn’t matter which 12yo brain it came from. It’s still juvenile toilet humor.
Haters gonna hate and World Wide Web is all about dat hate
Oh wow aren’t you so cute, mixing his name up like that. Hmm, I wonder what about him bothers you? He’s a very good player, lots of excitement, what is it…
Read any review of the Show ’23 and then connect the dots…
@Rsox: I honestly didn’t know adults play or pay attention to video games. Certainly none that I know do so.
One of the fastest growing segments of some game markets are retirees. There’s nothing less childish about your response than there is about the original toilet humor post.
The average baseball writer on these types of sites is also very young with the free time to write for free and I see some sites featuring an enormous quantity of toilet humor to the point I stop visiting them. Especially in the baseball community. Things like
“stroked a majestic dong” in game recaps etc.
Perhaps you should broaden your social circle. I’m old and enjoy the occasional video game..not very good at any of them but enjoy it.
@martras: If I didn’t know something, how is it childish to admit that?
@riffraff: Why? I am happy with my life and a good circle of friends. Am I supposed to seek random people who do something I have little interest in?
you do you – I was just suggesting that maybe instead of getting all uppity about “no adults I know play video games ” type vibe you maybe take a look around and see its a big world with lots of types of people instead sticking with your limited circle of friends. I’m not sure why but I picture your crew sitting around smoking cigars , sipping brandy ,taking turns cranking the victrola so you can listen to your old 78 rpm al jolson records, checking the ticker tape to see how your stocks are doing and occasionally going outside to yell at the kids on your lawn. But I could be wrong I often am. Have a great day
The problem with the Internet is that people read what they wish into things others say.
I stated a fact, that no adults I know play video games, and you decided that was “uppity” of me, whatever that even means.
I know the world is big with different kinds of people. I live in NYC, one of the largest and most diverse cities in the world, don’t even have a lawn, and no, I don’t have a Victrola. I tell Siri to play music on my Apple system.
I also happen to be in an interracial marriage, so my circle of family and friends is probably broader and more diverse than yours.
And you sit there making stupid assumptions about my life and judging me for not playing video games? Who do you think you are?
But you do you and your ignorant riffraff self.
Sometimes its hard to get a read on words written rather than spoken face to face – your comment , to me , felt uppity. Right or wrong – its the way it came across to me. Perhaps you should relax a little – don’t take things so seriously if someone doesn’t understand what you are trying to say.. maybe get a better sense of humor as well…or don’t it’s really none of my concern.
And for who do I think I am? Riffraff – one of my favorite cartoon villains.
Have a great day
Don’t take things so seriously after you created an entire caricaturist profile of me based on nothing?
You should follow your own advice. Don’t take things so seriously and don’t be so quick to judge people.
we are obviously not on the same page communications wise so I’m done with this chat. Enjoy the rest of your day – I know I am going to.
Perhaps we will have better luck on a different thread.
TTFN
@Blue Baron
I think most adults will inform you that it isn’t the 1970s and 198os anymore. Many of the adults that were kids in the late 70s or early 80s were the first generation of video gamers that became adults that play video games…even today as many have become middle agers. Do you know any 50-year olds that would pass up playing Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Dig Dug, etc. from that era? In fact, when those retro games are brought out for game nights, it’s usually the middle agers that dominate younger generations in those games.
And as pointed out, many retirees have taken up video game playing when they don’t like playing those computer card games.
@MarlinsFanBase: No need to be so condescending. I do not need you or “most adults” to inform me of the date.
Do you talk down to everyone this way?
@Blue Baron
I was being informative; not condescending…kind of like how you didn’t intend to sound “uppity”. I was speaking from reality. If you took it another way, that’s on you, and seem more like a defense mechanism since you placed yourself in a category of people when you stated that no adults you know play video games. As you see from posts here in response to that, you must not deal with many adults as friends, work colleagues, your neighborhood, etc. if you don’t know any adults that are into video games. It’s a norm. Nothing childish about it. People have played some sort of games for generations. Video games are just electronic versions of game playing – which comes from technological advances; not childishness.
What next? Are you going to bash fantasy sports players too as not being adults? Because someone that plays fantasy sports are inclined to play games like MLB The Show, Madden, NBA Live or 2K, whatever NHL and MLS games are out there. Guys that do analytics or math for careers (accountants, etc. financial careers), tend to do simulation scenario games or play the simulation scenarios with these same video games.
Again, I’m being informative. And I, like the others on here that have responded to you, are unsure how you can live outside of your home, deal with many adults, and don’t encounter any that play video games…unless you hang out with people that are 90+ years old.
I feel like most video games are not aimed at kids. Sure there are plenty that are “kid friendly” but most of the content is more adult oriented. Same can be said for most comic books and even cartoons.
I’m not going to pick apart Blue Baron but i do think his comment was meant to sound like gaming is immature and not for “grown-ups” however he also has to know that it isn’t a bunch of 12 year olds dropping $600 bucks on a PS5. It’s not his “thing” and that’s fine but there is no need for him to look down at those who do enjoy it
Does it stink? I havnt played yet
@Rsox
Where do you have your review of The Show 23?
I’m trying to find opinions and information about the custom teams and playing seasons with them…and using multiple of them to create custom leagues with custom teams only. Also wanting to know more about those features in creating the custom teams.
I’ve read reviews from IGN, Gamespot, Operation Sports, Bleacher Report, and Google. Google is the most unforgiving giving the game a rating of 2.6 stars. Most of the others gush over one specific addition/storyline and mention little in the way of improvements. Operation Sports seems to give the most in-depth review that I’ve seen and may help with what you are looking, and even if it doesn’t, cruise the forum because you’ll likely find answers there
Thanks @Rsox. I’ll look for those. I’m curious how the custom features work because it may change a lot of tech efforts for so many people who have been doing some high level modding of the older games, especially if the custom features in The Show do in a couple of hours what takes days or months to do in high level modding. For example, if custom logos are permitted through uploads after creation from external programming (photo/video/3D/font editors, etc).
He played with a broken back last season before they figured out what was wrong with him.
Finally. Alvarez was ready two years ago. Uncage the beast
The Beast. Lol. Too funny.
uCaGe ThE bEASt! Arghhhhh!!!!!
@Camden453: How do you know that he was ready two years ago? You have professional baseball scouting experience?
Do you just spend your day looking to throw stones and pick fights with people?
I just call BS when I see it. Not trying to fight with anyone.
@blue baron that’s an appeal to authority fallacy. The fallacy that just because someone has a professional position as a scout that it automatically makes him a better authority on scouting
Most professional scouts are bad at scouting. You don’t need an official title or position to be better at it
Same with any other position. Almost every Greek “philosophy” professor has no idea what Greek philosophy is
They write absolutely meaningless books and are considered authorities because they have a degree, but in reality understand absolutely nothing about it
And yet they have authority in the field since they, you know, make a living doing it.
What authority do you have in this field? Your posts come across as an appeal to BS fallacy. Maybe just a fallacy period.
Donald Trump got a position running the US government. So by your own logic Donald Trump knows more about how to govern
There are tons of people who get positions in society that in fact have no idea what they’re doing in those positions
He’s ready to hit. The fact that he allowed 7 steals in his first game suggests he is going to cost the Mets some games.
Marlins incompetent management is destroying Chisholm by moving him to CF. It’s obvious he’ll get injured and his hitting will suffer also
It’s amazing the incompetent managing you see
They already had a 2B and they trade for another 2B and come up with the grand idea to move Chisholm to CF. Totally incompetent management
Playing players out of position is a cardinal rule of GMing. You don’t do it under any circumstances
Lots of middle Infielders have made a successful, or at least decent transition to CF (or the OF in general). Craig Biggio, Robin Yount, Mookie Betts, Alfonso Soriano, Ian Desmond just to name a few. Whitt Merrifield plays almost half of his games every year in the OF as well as 2B. Asking Chisholm to learn CF isn’t necessarily a “incompetent” decision, keeping him there if he proves he can’t do it is another issue entirely (see Dee Strange-Gordon Mariners)
@Rsox: The Mets once did that with Juan Samuel, which was a disaster compounded by having traded an excellent CFer (though a lousy character) in Lenny Dykstra for him.
Terrible trade. Dykstra and Roger McDowell for one year of an out-of-position Samuel.
Unless the guy “profiles” as an outfielder, for example Betts, Mcneil, it’s a bad idea to move him off an infield position
Chisholm is not an outfielder. Playing a 2B in OF for offense ends up with much less wins
Defense is worth much more wins than offense
Imagine if todays analytics were around 30 years ago. A true CF who had a career 120 OPS+ 42 WAR and a serviceable reliever with a career 115 ERA + to get a career 101 OPS + guy to play out of position in CF…….never would have happened today, but in 1989 all the Mets could see was a power speed guy that scored a lot of runs for the Phillies. No focus back then that his on base was just .300 and his runs scored were a function of the team he was on. A bad trade indeed.
Rsox, yeah, and it was a disaster in most cases. Betts profiles more as a true OF so it went ok.
It was a disaster having Desmond and Soriano in the OF
Desmond was an All Star and actually earned decent defensive marks in CF for Texas. It was in Colorado where it turned bad.
Soriano was paid for his bat. Not having a DH in the NL meant he had to play somewhere but after being traded to Washington it was Frank Robinson who convinced him heading into a contract year that he would get a bigger payday playing the OF than he would 2B and Frank was probably right
The decision wasn’t bad, the timing was bad. If they wanted him to move to CF, they should’ve asked him in November. But he’s been just a tick below average there so far and he didn’t get hurt playing defense anyway.
Tick below average. Apparently you haven’t seen him misjudge a line drive single that went for a double and cost the Marlins a game…among the many other miscues he’s made, which I don’t criticize him for, it isn’t even his fault
If you actually watched marlins games you would see how bad it is
I’m a Marlins fan, and have seen how bad it is right now. Also, because I did play ball into college, I see how poorly Jazz is on his routes. If the Marlins wanted to do this, it should’ve been earlier in the offseason. When it got as late as it did into the offseason, the Marlins should’ve determined to just go with de la Cruz in CF, and move Jazz to SS. In CF, he’s pretty much been getting a crash course in OF play, with him solely depending on his natural tools and instincts. He has tools, and may become passable at some point, but there are a lot of growing pains happening with this.
Chisholm allegedly recommended the move.
I believe that may have been the case, imagining for a moment being a 2B with the athleticism to move to CF that Chisholm has watching the significantly higher salaries that even just decent free agent CF’ers were demanding last offseason.
Way more money out in CF for a player like Chisholm than there is likely to be at 2B moving forward.
Also true. It seems every winter more and more middle Infielders languish in free agency as there are more players than open roster spots. Chisholm doesn’t have to be Mike Trout in CF in order to secure a nice big payday one day, he just has to be competent enough not to be a liability out there
Who cares about getting him a payday? Seeing a guy who is “competent enough to not be a liability” is not what I think of when I think about the top level of an athletic event. That is how you justify letting your best player’s unathletic nephew play right field for your softball team, not how you should set a lineup in the major leagues.
I agree that it may have been a Pay Day thing. Perfect example from this offseason is what Brandon Nimmo got versus what Jeff McNeil got.
I’m sorry, but I’m taking McNeil all day long for my lineup instead of Nimmo. But Nimmo stands in CF while McNeil stands at 2B…when they both should be in LF. If they both were playing the position they should be playing, they both would perhaps get less, but McNeil would’ve gotten more than Nimmo.
When you’re Jazz or any player, and you see that, you are going to see if you can stand out in CF for that money. If he were at 2B, look at McNeil’s salary when Jazz would be trying free agency or for an extension. Now that he’s trying for CF, if he becomes passable there, look how much money he can make with what he can do versus a guy like Nimmo.
the kids love him, allegedly
If the Giants bring up Sanchez, that will be the most pathetic move in the last 5 years !! They need to move forward, not backwards.
They have a raciest majority owner that needs to sell his shares to Joe Lacob
Hmmm, not sure how promoting Sanchez really sets the team back any.
Also not sure what makes the Giants owner “raciest”
Raciest? Does that mean he is racy?
I disagree on all your points.
1. If they bring up sanchez and he hits that is a major win – Bart is a bust waiting to be traded or DF’a – especially if Sabol continues to hit. If sanchez fails so what no real risk – they got to see up close. at least.
2. Racist – please! its another if they don’t agree with a certain agenda put a label on someone
If the Giants bring up Sanchez, that will be the most pathetic move in the last 5 years !! They need to move forward, not backwards.
They have a raciest majority owner that needs to sell his shares to Joe Lacob of the Golden State Warriors.
Keep ownership in Northern California, where it belongs.
Why don’t you clam up
What….and keep us from those pearls of wisdom?
Yeah, he’s pretty good at those pearls of wisdom. Without him, I would’ve never known that the Giants’ owner was racy more than anyone else. I’ve got to pay more attention to that owner for some good entertainment. He should perform on the field for the Giants fans.
???
How dare you accuse Johnson of wearing frilly red lingerie.
Was it that? I thought when he referred to him being more racy than any other owner that he meant he was something like a clown mutated with a Chippendale combined with a belly dancer and burlesque performer.
Don’t know where the raciest [sic] comment came from. Sanchez is Dominican.
Has a history donating to the Republican Party. One of the candidates he supported did some questionable things when running against an African American opponent. A donation he gave in another example was used to produce a dodgy ad. He strongly denounced both incidents but mud sticks.
He also just gave unqualified support to a POBO that is a Canadian born Muslim with Pakistani parents.
“History of donating to Republican party” He should have donated to the racist Democrats, who use Hollywood celebrity and BILLIONS in MSM racist propaganda, to cover up their racist behavior, right?
No idea. That sentence was just background info.
Maybe we could keep politics off of this site……especially from Australian folk?
I was just answering the question. I heard this accusation previously so did some quick research back then. Two campaign donations came back to bite him. That’s it. I don’t care about your politics.
Who ?
Dude, my first crime is reading the man’s Wikipedia page a few weeks ago. My second crime is not listening to my instincts when deciding to post the knowledge.
You people are as wound as tight as can be. Relax. It’s just info.
mlb fan- You’re going off the deep end now. I think you need to relax a little. Foppert made objective statements and did not once declare an opinion about his politics. You’re just reading into it the way you want to read into it so you can be mad, apparently.
Wait, he didn’t say racist. He said raciest. There ‘s a difference. One is a bigot against people for their race; the other is someone who probably likes to entertain in racy ways.
@talking baseball: Sanchez is new to the Giants, so it is a move forward. And how do you know this Jacob Lacob guy is interested?
Lacob has apparently made several offers over the Years to buy the Oakland A’s and was at least rumored to be interested in the Angels so he has interest in owning a Baseball team, whether or not he’s interested in the Giants specifically is another matter all together
Wishing Chazz a speedy recovery.
Alvarez is a slob, he will be injured all the time and strike out a ton.
someone on here suggesting a guy who had 2 hits in 12 at bats in his cup of coffee in mlb in 2022 was ready 2 years ago….
Someone on here is also suggesting 12 at bats is enough to determine the readiness of a player.
THIS… is why you need a strong farm system(Mets) and cannot just BUY the best team in MLB.
They didn’t. They bought the most expensive Wild Card contender.
Very relieved that Jazz didn’t get hurt for a longer period of time. Can’t wait for him to be back in the lineup.
Sanchez’s defense has been offensive. The only impactful addition he will make to the Giants is in the losses and passed balls columns.
Very relieved that Jazz didn’t get hurt for a longer period of time. Can’t wait for him to be back in the lineup.
I wish they’d stop pressuring Bart and just let the kid play