“I wouldn’t want to pitch to me,” Alonso said. “I'm not saying that to come off as cocky or anything.”
After his spectacular 2018 season with the Binghamton Mets and Las Vegas Aviators, Pete Alonso was called up to the Mets big league spring training and began to get reps with the Mets at 1st base. With the minor league Binghamton Mets he started off fast, raking a .314 batting average with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs before getting promoted to the Aviators. While a member of the Aviators, Alonso raked a .260 batting average with 21 home runs and 67 RBIS. That is a big difference compared to his 2019 stats, doubling his home runs and almost doubling the RBIS. Once Alonso was officially activated to the Mets roster to start off the 2019 season, the Mets finally had some hope to get their way back into the playoffs. “ This entire experience, it went in a blink of an eye. For me, this was a dream. It went by fast, but I feel I really did a good job of slowing things down a little bit and kind of taking things in and enjoying,” said Alonso on his first day with his new club.
For the last decade, the struggling Mets have not found themselves in the postseason due to the fact that no one has produced stats that compare to MVP status. The last Mets player to produce at that level for the team was David Wright, who retired last season and is a future Hall of Famer. David Wright's best season was in 2008, when he batted .302 with 33 Home Runs and 124 RBIS.
Alonso is making a case for MVP numbers, helping the Mets to a 81-74 record so far -- and the season is not over. The rookie sensation has carried the Mets to a top 4 seed in the NL and has 50 Home runs on the year. His overall stats are by far worthy for Rookie of the Year, with a .264 batting average, 50 Home Runs and 115 RBIS. As the season ends, Alonso is chasing Arron Judge's home run record. Alonso is at 51 total and needs 52 to tie.
To add to Alonso’s amazing start to his career, he went through a tough battle, but came out on top as the 2019 Home Run Derby Champion. Alonso started the derby off very slow as he tallied 14 home runs, just enough to slide pass Indians 1st baseman Carlos Santana who tallied, 13 in the round. In the next round, Alonso had to step up his “A” game, as he was against the previous NL Rookie of the Year, Braves center fielder Ronald Acuna. Acuna came out red hot with 19 home runs, but it was Alonso who turned up the heat and raked 20 more in the second round to advance to the championship round against the hyped-up Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In the two previous rounds, Guerrero tore it up as he belted 29 home runs in round one versus Athletics 3rd baseman Matt Chapman. In the second round, Guerrero made an amazing comeback against Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson. The championship round was one no one will forget. Vlad belted 22 home runs, making him the favorite to win the whole thing, but with Alonso coming up right after, Guerrero had it in for himself as he watched Alonso take the championship away from his fingertips, belting the go ahead home run to make Alonso the 2019 Home Run Derby champion.
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