Mets’ Francisco Alvarez searching for consistency as brutal second-half slump drags on

Around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Francisco Alvarez was in the Citi Field batting cages, one of the only people in a nearly empty ballpark.

Alvarez is taking extra steps to figure out what needs to change in his swing or plate approach to find some sort of consistency — something he hasn’t seen since June.

In the first half of the season, he went 42-for-142 with four home runs, 23 RBIs, 37 strikeouts and an .844 OPS.

Since the break, he has gone 11-for-63 (.176) and has only launched one home run while walking three times and striking out 19 times.

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When asked what he has seen in Alvarez’s recent at-bats, manager Carlos Mendoza said “a little bit of everything,” from chasing to being late on pitches the catcher “can do damage with.”

“I think he’s going through it and he’s searching a little bit. It was good to see him out there today for early hitting,” Mendoza said before Alvarez went 1-for-3 with a walk in the Mets’ 9-1 win over the A’s on Wednesday night. “He’s working really hard with [hitting coaches Eric Chavez] Chavey and [Jeremy Barnes] Barnesy.”

Overall this season, Alvarez is chasing more pitches outside of the strike zone, entering play at 29.4 percent — a bump of 3.3 points from his 2023 season.

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In a season in which he underwent thumb surgery and has fought a sore left shoulder, his power has shrunk.

Through 62 games, Alvarez has five home runs.

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Through the same number last season, he had 14.

Nevertheless, Mendoza doesn’t see the struggles weighing too much on Alvarez.

“The good thing is we see the same guy. Good spirit. Positive,” Mendoza said. “He knows how much he means to the ballclub so he wants to contribute. But that’s what we’re seeing whether it’s late at times or chasing or just missing pitches.”

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