PORT ST. LUCIE — To say that Francisco Alvarez has excessive expectations for the Mets lineup could be an understatement.
Juan Soto is on board, and final week the workforce reached settlement with Pete Alonso on a two-year deal to return. Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos are the returning Mets gamers who had massive seasons offensively.
“I think we are the best lineup in baseball,” Alvarez stated Monday on the report date for pitchers and catchers. “We have Petey. We have a little bit of everything. We have hitting guys. We have power hitters. We have everything. We have the best lineup in baseball, so we can fight with any team.”
Alvarez desires to be a part of that dialog after an underwhelming season offensively through which he posted a .237/.307/.403 slash line with 11 homers and 47 RBIs in 100 video games.
To that finish, Alvarez employed a swing coach this offseason, following a suggestion from former teammate J.D. Martinez.
“Last year was my worst year and it was a little bit tough,” Alvarez stated. “But I think this year is going to be great. Last year I lost my mind for a little bit. I think that’s normal. Everybody has to move past those moments. If I have bad moments here I don’t think it’s going to affect me.”
Alvarez missed seven weeks after he underwent surgical procedure final April to restore a torn left thumb ligament.
He stated the thumb wasn’t a consider his offensive struggles final season, however he’s wanting ahead to seeing how he performs with it absolutely strengthened.
“I feel way stronger right now,” Alvarez stated. “I feel way better. My thumb is way better, so I think this year I have no excuses for nothing.”
Ryne Stanek stated he remained optimistic all through the winter that he would return to the Mets, however his new take care of the membership materialized rapidly.
The veteran reliever agreed to a one-year contract value $4.5 million in late January.
The Mets acquired Stanek final 12 months on the commerce deadline. He was an necessary piece to the workforce’s postseason bullpen, pitching to a 3.38 ERA in seven appearances.
“The team is good, but [the Mets] were really welcoming for me and my family,” Stanek stated. “The baseball is the baseball. That’s the easy part to see. It’s a lot of the stuff that goes into the behind the scenes, like the quality of life things that matter for people with kids. … They took great care of my family and that meant a lot to me.”
Carlos Mendoza will maintain his first session of spring coaching with reporters on Tuesday. The Mets’ first official exercise for pitchers and catchers is scheduled for Wednesday.
