New York Mets manager Buck Showalter noncommittal on if top prospect Francisco Alvarez is truly competing for a roster spot

Francisco Alvarez may very well be the New York Mets' catcher of the future, but that doesn't mean the future has come just yet.

New York manager Buck Showalter was asked by Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo as to whether Alvarez is "truly competing for a roster spot" this spring after getting a five-game taste of the majors last autumn.

"I think he's going to approach it that way. You always want players to make you think," Showalter said. "We know (Tomas) Nido and Omar (Narvaez) are going to be two catchers, and we'll see if Francisco fits into that mix."

"I think he's going to approach it that way. You always want players to make you think ... We know Nido and Omar are going to be two catchers, and we'll see if Francisco fits into that mix," Showalter said, according to aiDiComo tweet.

Nido, who will turn 29 in March, played in 98 games with the New York Mets last season, batting .239 and leading the major leagues with 12 sacrifice hits.

Narvaez, 31, was signed to a two-year, $15 million contract in December after playing the past three seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers last season. A 2021 All-Star, Narvaez hit just .206 last season in 84 games to bring his career batting average down to .258.

New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler addressed the team's wealth of young prospects looking to break their way into the majors as soon as possible.

Due to the World Baseball Classic being competed this March during MLB Spring Training, players such as Alvarez, as well as corner infielders Brett Baty and Mark Vientos – who also got some quick playing time with the Mets in September – will get heavy looks this spring. However, that doesn't mean that they are heading north to New York after camp.

"It’s just more that they can soak in over this time period," Eppler told reporters Thursday. "With that WBC, comes more opportunity for those guys to play, to get a bigger portion of plate appearances or innings played. So, I’m looking forward to watching them continue to compete and seeing how they grow and evolve."

New York Mets cherish Alvarez

Francisco Alvarez of the New York Mets reacts in the dugout after hitting a home run.

Alvarez is the top prospect of the New York Mets. So cherished is he, that the Mets refused to include him in a trade for then-Chicago Cubs three-time All-Star catcher Willson Contreras when the two teams talked about a swap prior to the MLB trade deadline last season.

In three minor-league seasons, Alvarez is hitting .274 with 58 home runs and 174 RBIs. He hit one home run among his two hits during a 14 at-bat spell with the Mets late last season.