Let’s Talk About Pete Alonso
Pete Alonso might have played his last game as a Met.
The Mets will trot out a lineup on Opening Day in Houston next year, and there could be a Polar Bear-sized absence at first.
He may hit 450 home runs in his career, and half of those could come with a team—or other teams—that aren’t the Mets.
Joy will radiate at some point in 2025, and Alonso’s goofball grin may not be part of that equation.
These realizations sat under each at-bat for the final week of the regular season, then in every at-bat of the Milwaukee series. All until we didn’t need to suppress it any longer, and instead we could celebrate Pete and marvel at his sheer power. We didn’t want it to end one way, then Pete made sure it didn’t—for himself and for his team.
Alonso became notorious for writing down notes from each at-bat in the minors and into his rookie year. He thinks—a lot—about each plate appearance. You can see it on him as he struggles, and you see the confidence when the work and plan are validated. The ursine roar before the ball traveled 100 feet in the air on the Milwaukee home run. One year, he’s trying to improve on certain counts. Another, he’s working on hitting the ball to all fields. And another, it’s cutting down on chase. It doesn’t always work.
This season wasn’t Pete’s best. (Honestly, it was his worst in six seasons.) Improvements in one area can open up holes in another. Sometimes those year-to-year improvements end up contracting his true nature—a power-hitting first baseman—ending in self-inflicted holes in his game. He hit 34 home runs this year, and his slugging percentage was a six-year low. After a down year on batting average, he seemed to forego some power in the name of boosting that. Could it stem from overthinking? Sure. But his thoughtfulness, intentionality, and hard work are what got him to the majors—especially as a defensive first baseman when many thought he was destined to be a career-long designated hitter.
The 2024 Mets were a couple of things: Hard workers, optimistic, funny—and they were themselves. The Mets finally caught up to Alonso’s persona.
Francisco Lindor was the leader of these Mets and will be for the future. But it’s a role he learned and grew into over his first four years as a Met. Alonso has been a great compliment to Lindor—he’s someone the shortstop knew would be in the lineup every day with him. Alonso would answer tough questions as the team slid down the standings, holding himself accountable along the way. He did all of these things in New York. I can’t help but wonder the impact that had on Lindor as he took the reins of the team. It’s hard work doing what Lindor does. It’s easier when you have a teammate to do it with.
We’ll have plenty of coverage of Pete Alonso as the offseason rolls on—the holes in his game, what he can evolve into as he ages, the impact he’s had on the Mets, what his contract may look like. David Stearns doesn’t typically spend on first basemen. But many first basemen haven’t smashed 226 home runs in six years for a franchise while giving them an identity.
Alonso may not be a Met next year. But whether he takes the route of a Jacob deGrom or a Brandon Nimmo, he’s cemented himself as an all-time Mets great on and off the field. He’ll be invited back long into his retirement years, and we’ll all speak fondly of his rookie season, of the Home Run Derbys, of the 2024 postseason. He may even get a jersey retired. We’ll talk about Pete Alonso.
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