Francisco Alvarez says new Mets new skipper Carlos Mendoza is the ‘talk of’ Venezuela

The Mets have some new fans thanks to the hiring of Carlos Mendoza.

A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, the Mets made Mendoza only the second Major League manager to come out of the country when they hired him to replace Buck Showalter earlier this month. It’s been a popular hire in his home country, according to another native, catcher Francisco Alvarez, who said his friends and family have all started rooting for the Mets because of it.

“It’s pretty much the talk of the country right now,” Alvarez said through translator Alan Suriel Friday at the Mets’ ninth annual Turkey Drive in the Bronx. “Everyone is turning into Mets fans over there. That’s all everyone talks about and they’re, honestly, solely fans of the Mets now because we have a Venezuelan manager. So, it’s obviously something that’s really big in the country.”

Considering there have been 473 players from the country to reach the big leagues, it’s somewhat surprising that the only other manager on that list is Ozzie Guillen, who managed the Chicago White Sox and the Miami Marlins but he hasn’t managed since 2012.

Mendoza was never one of those players. He was a career minor leaguer before becoming a coach in the Yankees organization and working his way up to the bench coach role in 2020, which is often considered the second-highest position in a dugout. It was not an easy path or a linear path to the Majors for Mendoza, but it’s a path that has endeared him to Alvarez.

“I’m super proud of the story, of his background, what it’s taken him to get to this point,” Alvarez said. “It feels really good and I’m really proud of it,” Alvarez said through Suriel. “It brings me a lot of pride and joy that he’s been given this opportunity. I think he’s one of those people that can open the doors for other Venezuelan potential managers in the future because of the skill sets that he has.”

The two have yet to meet in person, but they have a phone conversation already. Mendoza wasted no time in calling up members of the Mets roster after agreeing to terms with the Mets on a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth. Alvarez characterized the conversations as positive with the two of them in the initial process of getting to know one another.

Alvarez, who recently turned 22, has shifted his mindset this winter as he ended his first full big league season. He’s also healthy this winter, having undergone ankle surgery last fall after the Mets were eliminated from the playoffs, which gives him the chance to hone in on certain parts of his game, like defensive elements behind the plate.

Alvarez had a prolific rookie season at the plate hitting 25 home runs, the most ever hit by a rookie backstop in club history. But behind it, he struggled. The Mets were happy with the strides he made in pitch framing and footwork, but he allowed 99 stolen bases and eight passed balls, throwing out only 15.

It’s a point of emphasis for him moving forward.

“My primary focus is obviously winning — going out there and winning each and every game that we can,” Alvarez said. “But also, when I’m on the play I want to be able to limit the damage that the other teams did. I’m really focused on that, and really focused on calling a better game so we don’t give up as many runs as we did.”

Mendoza frequently lauded the Yankees team chefs for their abilities to make Venezuelan food while Alvarez’s teammates lauded him for making lasagna last season. However, for Alvarez’s first American Thanksgiving, he’s letting his mother handle the cooking, saying she’s a better cook than he is.

The Mets handed out over 7,500 turkeys across the five boroughs, helping to feed more than 61,000 people, with Alvarez passing out birds with Mr. and Mrs. Met at Part of the Solution Community Center.

“It feels good because you know that they’re gonna spend days with their families with the things that they need,” he said through Suriel. “To be able to be out here with the Mets, and to be able to help them, it feels good.”