Mets fans, coaches, and players all came together at the legendary Duffy’s in Port Saint Lucie for the “Mets Hot Stove” season finale, players such as Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil sat down with Steve Gelbs, Todd Zeile, and Gary Apple to discuss the upcoming season.

Alonso – the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year – was arguably the highlight of the show, and is pumped for the upcoming season, “Man, we’re a hungry team this year. I am so excited.”

It is safe to say Alonso is ready for March 26, “For me, I just wanted to back up talk with actions, because I think talk is cheap and it’s all about actions and owning your responsibility of the role you play.”

Alonso set a Major League record in 2019 with 53 home runs as a rookie.

Outfielder Michael Conforto talked about a lot while on the air, and discussed what style he wants to have as an all-around player. “I felt like 2017 was the year that felt most like me, spraying the ball all over the field, playing well in the outfield, and doing all the right things fundamentally as a baseball player.”

The 26-year-old had a fine season in 2019 when he hit .257/.363/.494 with a career-high 33 home runs and 92 RBIs. But, he was even better in 2017, when he posted a career-high with his 147 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR.

Conforto continues, “That’s who I want to be. It’s not crazy to have those aspirations knowing that’s who I’ve been before.”

Gary Apple set the mood right for McNeil when he introduced the utility man by saying: “Jeff McNeil has opened a lot of eyes across Major League Baseball. Just the sixth player in the last 20 years with an on base percentage of .380 each of his first two big league seasons.”

McNeil had a lot of praise for new manager Luis Rojas and camp so far in 2020: “It’s been a lot of fun, everyone is really excited to play for Luis. It has been a good camp so far.” McNeil played for Rojas on a few different occasions during his time in the minors.

The 2019 All-Star is excited to be an everyday third baseman this season, “I had a lot of innings over there in the minor leagues, I played a lot of it, and it was a position that was open while I was down there… I feel comfortable there, and I hope to have a good year.”

The stars were out at Duffy’s last night as fans surrounded the stage just to get a glimpse. Each player sounds excited to get going in 2020, and each have a great deal of confidence in this group of guys heading into Opening Day.