PORT ST. LUCIE — It might take a second-year leap from Francisco Alvarez for the Mets to seriously contend for the postseason this season.
In his first game of the spring, however, Alvarez wasted little time offering encouragement that a leap could be coming.
The talented, 22-year-old catcher swatted an opposite-field homer in his second at-bat of the Grapefruit League season, a two-run blast off Houston righty A.J. Blubaugh in Sunday’s third inning.
“I feel very good. It feels very nice,” Alvarez said after the Mets’ first exhibition win of the season, 3-1 over the Astros at Clover Park.
Alvarez belted 25 home runs — the most by a catcher at age 21 or younger since Johnny Bench’s 26 in 1969 — during a wildly impressive if offensively uneven rookie campaign last year.
The once No. 1 prospect in all of baseball brought the power but hit just .209 with a .721 OPS. When he was hot, he sizzled (such as a blistering May in which he crushed seven homers and posted a 1.029 OPS), and when he was cold, he was frigid (such as a rough .456-OPS August).
In his first game of the spring, Alvarez looked comfortable immediately.
He smashed what became an infield single down the third-base line against righty Brandon Bielak in the first inning and then drilled a top-of-the-zone fastball 354 feet into the right-field seats in his next and final at-bat.
If Alvarez’s bat steadies, his ceiling might as well be a cathedral ceiling.
Alvarez has declined to cite a goal for how many homers he can hit, focusing on wins and not wanting to put a cap on the dinger total.
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All along last season, his defense — which arrived with more questions than his bat — impressed. Alvarez was among the league’s best at framing pitches and threw out 13 percent of base runners, a stat he would like to improve upon.
Alvarez said he was hoping an Astros base runner would attempt a steal while he was in the game, but none did.
First-year manager Carlos Mendoza enjoyed the swing but also was pleased with the way Alvarez caught the Mets’ starting pitcher.
“The way he worked with [José] Butto was really good to see,” Mendoza said.