In this series leading up to the MLB Draft on July 17, we’ll look back at the backgrounds of some notable Mets picks prior to their arrival in the big leagues. Last week was the franchise’s all-time home run leader, Darryl Strawberry. Next is someone who is moving up that list at a rapid pace.

Before he became Pete Alonso the Polar Bear, he was Peter Alonso the Gator. Alonso received a scholarship from the University of Florida out of Plant High School in Tampa, the same institution that produced Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. Orange and blue were now his uniform colors of choice for the foreseeable future.

Alonso was no different from athletes his age, aspiring to reach the highest level in his sport. He said so much on a college paper. He had doubters, including the person who graded said paper. He received a “C.” Or maybe that person knew he might be a captain one day for the Mets.

In three seasons in Gainesville, Alonso helped Florida make two appearances in the College World Series. Selected to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team in 2014, he batted .264 with 32 RBI, 19 walks, 18 runs, six doubles, four homers and two triples in 60 games. The numbers, power numbers especially, were only expected to improve from there. But his 2015 was severely limited–and started late–because of a broken foot. He missed the first 30 games. When he was in the lineup, he had a tremendous impact: a .301 average with 32 RBIs, 10 doubles, and five homers.

In his first trip to Omaha, Alonso blasted the two longest homers in the history of TD Ameritrade Park history–a 429-foot blast against Virginia besting his 421-foot shot against Miami.

Alonso returned the next year, but not before earning several accolades that made him a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award given to the top player in college baseball. He was the Gators’ third baseman in 57 of his 58 games–and committed just five errors. But it was his hitting that made him elite. He led Florida with a .469 on-base percentage, led the conference with a .659 slugging percentage, and 32 of his 79 hits went for extra bases–14 for homers and 18 for doubles. 

MLB.com had a better crystal ball: “He’s a first baseman only with well below-average speed, though his hands and footwork at the corner infield position should be adequate. As a right-right first baseman, the bat is really going to have to play.”

Former first baseman Sean Casey of MLB Network was even more prophetic: “This is a guy you can stick in the middle of the order. He’s going to barrel up some balls, gap to gap, going to go right-center, left-center. He’s played against tough competition for the last three years. This guy’s bat is going to play in the big leagues.”

Sixty-three picks went by before Alonso was chosen. The Mets are sure glad they did.

Alonso jumped to St. Lucie at Class A-Advanced for 2017. Sixteen homers and 82 games later, he was in Binghamton. He began the 2018 season there, and really got on Mets fans’ radar in the summer. Around the time he earned a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, Alonso’s power was seen on a National stage when he went deep in the 2018 Futures Game in Washington D.C., giving Mets fans a glimpse at what lied ahead.

In 132 games between Binghamton and Las Vegas that year, he slashed .285/.395/.579 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs. His last homer of the season was also the last homer at Las Vegas’s Cashman Field–a walk-off bomb in the stadium’s finale. After defying his college professor among others, projections before the 2019 season began had him as a future impact power bat. Nobody knew how soon. Surprisingly, Alonso was on the Opening Day roster for what would be an historic rookie year.

Now with more than 120 home runs in just over 430 games, he’s more than fulfilling his potential.