“Who is the Mets’ first baseman of the future?” If you asked me that question before August of last year, or even two years ago, I probably would have said Dominic Smith. But since August of 2017, when someone asks me that question, my answer is Peter Alonso. And, lately, I’m not the only one who thinks that.

After his call-up on August 11th of last year, Smith was unimpressive at the Major League level. In 49 games he hit just .198/.262/.395 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. This came after some very good hitting in Triple-A where he slashed .330/.386/.519 with 16 home runs and 76 RBIs. Those numbers might have been inflated by the hitter-friendly confines of Las Vegas and the Pacific Coast League, but they are impressive nonetheless.

The thing about Peter Alonso’s impressive hitting this season is that it’s not in a hitter-friendly league at all. Playing in Double-A Binghamton, Alonso has destroyed opposing pitchers to the tune of a .316/.453/.596 slash line with 15 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a 1.049 OPS.

At this point, Alonso has many considering him the first baseman of the future. His big bat has a lot to do with that, but there are some other factors as well.

The first of which is the two players’ physicality. When Dom Smith was called up last year, it was clear that he was not in good shape at all. He was overweight, and after having played 114 games at the Triple-A level, he seemed tired. This season he has trimmed down considerably, but with just two home runs in 52 games, it seems he might have lost the wrong kind of weight.

Overall, the 22-year-old Smith, who is turning 23 on June 15th, is hitting .272/.357/.386 with those two home runs, 15 doubles, and 24 RBIs in 52 games this season. Alonso, who has also trimmed down, is totally overshadowing him offensively. So what about defensively?

With a reputation of being a solid defensive first baseman preceding him, Smith disappointed in 2017 with -7 DRS and a -3.4 UZR/150. Again, that might have been due to his being out of shape and fatigued at the end of the season, but that’s his own fault and thus no excuse. Alonso, on the other hand, had the reputation of not being great defensively, but has been working hard to get better.

“I played really good defense in college, I played really good defense in Brooklyn, then it was a bad year last season,” Alonso told MMO’s Michael Mayer. “I hold myself to a high standard and I tried to figure it out, but I struggled and I struggled bad. It was about going back to the drawing board, building confidence and working on minor adjustments.”

“I’m really happy that Tim Teufel, our infield coordinator, spent loads of time with me and without him I wouldn’t be where I’m at right now,” Alonso continued. “I think I’ve come a really long way defensively, I’m going to continue to get better and keep my confidence up. Hopefully at the end of the 142 game season I will show that I can pick, I know that I can and now I’m going to show it.”

Besides the two players’ levels of play, there are other indicators that the organization is really starting to move past Smith as the first baseman of the future.

When Sandy Alderson signed Adrian Gonzalez this offseason, that was a major red flag for Dom Smith supporters. That was Sandy basically saying that he didn’t think Smith would be ready this season, a testament to how badly he performed down the stretch last season. That lack of confidence in him seems obvious.

Further, after injuries to Juan Lagares and Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets had Smith take some reps in right field. They framed that as wanting to see if he could still play the position he played in high school after having slimmed down, thus giving the Mets some more depth. However, while that might be the main reason, getting Smith reps in the outfield might have something to do with Alonso right on his coat tails at first base.

Another reason they might prefer Alonso over Smith is the abundance of left-handers in their line-up. Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce, and Luis Guillorme are all likely here to stay, making that five left-handers in the starting line-up including Smith were he to start at first base. Meanwhile, the Mets are the worst team in the Major Leagues against left-handed pitching this season, something that may have spooked the front office.

Both guys are clearly good players. They both have upside, and they both have value. But they also both play first base, and the Mets can only have one first baseman at a time. Something’s got to budge, and if current trends continue, Dominic Smith might be the moving piece.