Francisco Alvarez made a brief debut in 2022 but forced his way onto the roster in 2023 and the starting job at age 21 as a result of injuries and failures of others behind the plate. Alvarez played 123 games and in 382 at bats hit 25 home runs and drove in 63. Although he only hit .209 and struck out 110 times, he displayed some raw power, just as advertised. And he was even better than advertised behind the plate.

But in 2024, he regressed…perhaps partly because of injury and partly the good old sophomore jinx? Either way, he only played in 100 games and hit 11 home runs with 47 RBI and a .237 batting average. And now in 2025, he has been injured, but he also looks kind of lost at the plate, with 2 homers and 10 RBI, to go with 32 strikeouts in 102 at bats. He has also looked a bit inept behind the dish, as he has had quite a few pitches pop out of his mitt.

Mark Vientos also made a brief debut in 2022 and showed some pop with 9 home runs in a longer stint in 2023. But it was in 2024 when Brett Baty failed to hit after winning the job in spring training, that Vientos replaced him as the starting third baseman and rewarded the Mets with a breakout season hitting 27 home runs to go along with 71 RBI and a .266 batting average in 111 games. And while not great at third base, he wasn’t brutal.

Here we are in 2025 and Vientos was handed the starting third base job to start the season and he has been, in fact, brutal. He got off to a rough start hitting, a .230 average with 6 HR and 21 RBI to go along with 49 strikeouts in 187 at bats over 53 games. But what’s worse is his defense at third base. If someone is hitting, you can somewhat forget the bad play in the field. When they are not hitting, it makes it that much more noticeable. And now it’s noticeable.

Brett Baty similarly made an appearance in 2022 and then was given the third base job in 2023. And while he looked good at times, he just couldn’t stay consistent. He managed to hit .212 with 9 HR and 34 in 353 at bats over 108 games. After another good spring showing, he was handed the third base job to start the 2024 season. That didn’t go very well. His success in the spring did not carry over to the regular season and the Mets sent him down and brought up Vientos who took advantage of the opportunity and flourished. He ended the 2024 season with a .229 average, 4 HR and 16 RBI in 153 at bats over 50 games.

Baty ended up going down to the Minors and got some time at second base, shortstop, and the outfield, in order to make him more versatile and more useful to the organization. After Vientos was anointed the starting third baseman to begin the 2025 season, Baty became sort of a utility player. And although he has played a number of games this season at second base, he hasn’t looked quite natural there. He has been shuttled back and forth between second and third, for the most part, and in 48 games he is hitting .229 with 7 HR and 23 RBI. He has had a couple of hot streaks, but the .229 average makes it clearer that outside of those hot streaks, he hasn’t been all that great.

Ronny Mauricio just might be this generation’s Fernando Martinez or Lastings Millege…the guy you are yearning for because you think he is going to be the next Darryl Strawberry or David Wright and he just makes you shake your head in disappointment. Why Mauricio is already so loved by Mets fans is a great question. Mets fans are accustomed to the overhype of Mets prospects throughout the years. Why should this be any different?

Mauricio was the last of the foursome to make his MLB debut. He appeared in 26 games at the end of 2023 and in 101 at bats he hit .248 with 2 HR, 9 RBI and struck out 31 times. He sat out the entire 2024 season after seriously injuring his knee playing in the Dominican Winter League. He was finally recalled to the Mets and has played in 5 games so far this season.

Mauricio is said to be an offensive force, from both sides of the plate, but that is yet to be seen. We have heard that about a lot of players and then witness the struggles once they get to Flushing. It has yet to be translated but apparently some fans still see this guy as the savior. And where is he going to play? He will not replace Francisco Lindor. He is not very good at second base, nor third base, and he was horrible during trials in the outfield in the minor leagues. So now what?

It would be nice to see all four of these young players in the Mets lineup together, together for a long successful time. But it’s all about who is producing. And right now, actually, none of the four are really producing enough to not question whether they should have their names automatically written on the lineup card. And they are certainly not ready to be considered the Mets “Core Four.”