The “Troll” Will Put New York Mets Back On Top In NL
The Los Angelas Dodgers own the best record in the National League right now. LA's pitching and potent offense have made them the favorite out of the NL to face the Yankees in the World Series. The Mets are close behind but have been falling back to Earth as of late, as seen Tuesday in 1-0 loss to the lowly Cincinnati Reds. The Amazin's need a spark, maybe a secret weapon.
Yes, Max Scherzer returned on Tuesday to pitch 6 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 11, only to be undone by a taxed and beleaguered bullpen. However, you should be able to score at least one run against Cincinnati in 9 innings. Everyone else in baseball has had no problem with the "broken-down Reds machine." I should say "unfunded Reds machine" but that is a discussion for a different article.
On Sunday, Jacob deGrom pitched in a rehab game. The two-time Cy Young Award winner thew over a 100 mph and struck out 5 of the 6 hitters he faced. So, you'd have to imagine Jake will be back in a few weeks. Scherzer and deGrom, on paper, put the Mets in the conversation for the best rotation in baseball. But the spark that Steve Cohen's team needs to be the best team in the National League won't come from pitching. It may come from Major League Baseball's #2 overall prospect called the "Troll" and he is playing baseball in Syracuse.
Being called "Troll" isn't a nickname that most Major League players would embrace. How can a guy with such an awful nickname be a slugging savior for the Mets? According to an article by Jose DeJesus Ortiz in Baseball America, the Mets top prospect may not love the name but he sort of looks the part. A person that is 5'10" and 220 pounds with forearms that look like tree trunks from lifting huge bags of cement, just might resemble aspects of the fabled character. It's little surprise that the children in Mets star prospect Francisco Álvarez's village in Venezuela gave the slugger the nickname. Can the "Troll" be the offensive boost that the Mets need to get by the defending World Champion Atlanta Braves? Many baseball evaluators believe he can.
In an article by Tim Britton of theathletic.com, the Mets beat writer pointed out that Álvarez dominated Double-A pitching, as he has throughout his minor league career, forcing his recent promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. Over the previous month in Binghamton, MLB's #2 prospect hit .319/.418/.731 for a 1.150 OPS. He homered once every 10 plate appearances. In 67 games in the minors so far in 2022, the "Troll" has hit 18 home runs and driven in 47. Álvarez's time in Syracuse should be limited. Mets general manager Billy Eppler doesn't have to look any further for a solution to Buck Showalter's designated hitter woes. Clubhouse personnel should begin to get the 'Troll's" locker ready at Citi Field.