FLUSHING, NY — Yesterday, Saturday April 13th, I had the opportunity to speak to Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez, who has started quite strong this season. However, our meeting was to interview him for his performance last season that earned him a nomination on the prestigious 2023 LatinoMVP awards ballot as National League LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year. Álvarez, 22, of Guatire, Venezuela, had 80 hits, 12 doubles 25 home runs and 63 RBI in 382 at-bats. He finished his 2023 campaign with a .209 BA, .284 OBP and .437 SLG.
Francisco Álvarez hit 25 home runs in his rookie season, the third-most ever by a Mets rookie in franchise history, behind Pete Alonso, and Darryl Strawberry – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Álvarez was surprised and broke into a wide smile when he first heard that he was a finalist. I explained the history of the award and how the names are selected for the ballot. I explained that though he did not win, but the fact that he was a finalist to what many consider the “Latin Grammy of Baseball” was something to be proud of.
Our interview with Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez, a finalist for the 2023 National League #LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year ⚾️🇻🇪🏆
“Very proud to be on that list among the best Latino rookies. It is something that means a lot to me.” 🙌🏾#LatinoSports #MLB #LGM | @Mets | @MLB pic.twitter.com/CVfRjH1fG0
— Latino Sports (@LatinoSports) April 14, 2024
Interview with Francisco Álvarez
LS – We are here with Francisco Álvarez who had a tremendous season last year. Francisco, now that you know the history of the LatinoMVP award, the oldest most and prestigious award given to Latinos baseball, what do you think of that award?
FA – I think it’s a great thing for us who are Latinos. That means a lot to me as a player as a Latin player. For me it is something different, something that makes us different, I think it is something very big for our Latin community, it is something that’s huge.
LS – What do you think about being on the ballot for rookie of the year?
FA – Very proud to be on that list among the best Latino rookies. It is something that means a lot to me, grateful to the people who make those decisions.
LS – And what do you think about an award exclusively for Latino baseball players?
FA – I think it is something important because it makes us different. That seems very good to me, something that makes us compete more among ourselves. We are always looking for ways to have fun. Something like this to be able to win is good for the Latino community.
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