In the Mets’ first spring training contest against the Atlanta Braves this afternoon, we got our first look at 2016 second-round pick and first baseman Pete Alonso.

The day got off to a rocky start, when Alonso dropped a low, but more than catchable throw from shortstop Amed Rosario to allow Atlanta a second baserunner with one out. Both men would score after a single and sacrifice fly, with the dubiously earned runs being charged to starter Walker Lockett. A 40-rated glove by Fangraphs, Alonso’s questionable defense has prompted the organization to exercise caution in his development, with then-assistant general manager John Ricco citing it as a main factor in the team’s decision to hold off on a promotion last season.

Nonetheless, it’s Alonso’s bat that has more than made up for any concerns in the field. Ranking as high as 40th on Baseball Prospectus‘ current list of the league’s top 101 prospects and currently pegged the best first-base prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline, Alonso did not disappoint in his first pair of plate appearances.

The festivities began in the bottom of the second inning, when he lined a Touki Toussaint fastball over the wall on the very first pitch. The shot tied the game at two – clearing the deepest part of the ballpark, no less, with Toussaint telling reporters following the game that the homer was “the hardest hit he’s allowed in his life”

“He gave me a fastball on the part of the plate where I was looking for it, and thankfully I stayed within myself and capitalized on the pitch,” Alonso commented in a mid-game interview. “We’re called hitters, not takers, so if we can get a good pitch, we might as well take our chance at it.”

Later on in the fourth, Alonso came up against left-hander Kolby Allard and drew a five-pitch walk. He would advance to second on a breaking pitch in the dirt, and made it to third on a Tomás Nido groundout, but was ultimately stranded. Dominic Smith took over at first base the following inning.

Alonso, who turned 24 last December, is coming off a year in which he hit .285/.395/.579 with 36 homers and 118 RBI between the Mets’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates in Binghamton and Las Vegas, respectively. Across three professional seasons in the minors, he has combined to hit .290/.381/.560 with 132 extra-base hits, swatting a homer in last year’s mid-summer Futures’ Game that set several Statcast records.

“People were fired up. To get us back in the ballgame like that, it was a pretty good experience,” Alonso added, regarding the home run – his first in a big-league spring training game. “I just want to help this team win, and I want to show that I can do that.”