Do you ever get that feeling that a highly touted prospect is actually going to hit pay dirt and become a star after only watching him play in just a dozen games or so? For example, when I first laid eyes on Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire and Will Clark, the next day I’d go out and buy a few hundred of their rookie cards in mint condition…. That kind of feeling.
I’d bet there’s a big bunch of you who know exactly what I’m talking about….
Over the last two seasons, after the Mets began boring me to death, I stopped watching them unless Jacob deGrom was pitching. Instead, I would watch the Las Vegas 51s and the Binghamton Mets games. (Rumble Ponies? Really?) Anyway, I digress….
The first time I laid eyes on Pete Alonso, it was Mets spring training in 2017. I remember reading some blurb from then-manager Terry Collins, about Pete joining Mets big league camp for a few games.
That’s cool, I thought… Then I saw him at plate…
Wow, what an imposing figure I thought. He reminded me a lot of former Yankees top prospect and Seattle Mariners’ star, Jay Buhner, remember him? So yeah, the first thing I did was start hoarding his rookie cards from eBay. The second thing I did was contact him for an interview – to which he obliged. (Three times now, thanks Pete!) But more important than all that, I watched him in the minors every chance I got – and man oh man – he didn’t disappoint.
Now, here he is and looking every bit like the stud I knew he’d be. So far this season, he’s already shattered about a dozen different MLB and Mets records, and remember all that ridiculous talk about sending him to the minors (looking at you Martino) to gain a year of service time? Well, nobody is talking about that anymore.
Through 12 games this season, Alonso leads Mets regulars with a .378 average, 257 OPS+ (not a typo), .911 slugging percentage, six home runs and 17 RBIs. According to Elias, the 17 RBIs are tied for third-most by a player in his first 12 career games since 1920, when RBI became an official stat.
Alonso isn’t just hitting the baseball, he’s crushing them, and last night during Thursday’s 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park, the top rookie in baseball displayed his might with a prodigious blast that won’t be soon forgotten.
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Alonso’s two-run blast against reliever Jonny Venters, soared over straightaway center and splashed down in the pond beyond the wall. It was the longest home run of Alonso’s career, travelling a projected 454 feet, with an astonishing exit velocity of 118.3 miles per hour.
The historic shot is tied for the 9th-hardest ever recorded in the Statcast era, and the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are the only players to have hit the ball harder.
“I’ve got to do a couple more push-ups,” Alonso joked to reporters. “That’s really cool. To be in the same category as those two guys, that means a lot. They’re two of the most prolific power hitters in the game.”
“To see it hit the water like that, it’s like wow. That’s cool. I kind of surprised myself to be honest.”
Thirteen of Pete Alonso’s 17 hits have had an exit velocity of at least 100.0 mph, tying him with the Nationals’ Anthony Rendon for the second-most behind Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers who leads with 14.
“Most of the time our jaws are dropped and we’re going, ‘Wow. You just don’t see stuff like that,'” Mickey Callaway said about his right-handed slugger. “He does something special every night and when he’s at the plate, you feel like something’s going to happen. And something usually does.”
And it’s not just the home runs, his enthusiasm, passion and competitive spirit has had a cumulative positive effect on the entire Mets roster. His energy and positive attitude has become infectious, and if not for his bat it’s hard to believe the Mets would still be in first place today.
“I’m so happy to be here,” Alonso reflected after the game. I’ve just been so appreciative of everything. Everyone’s been fantastic. We’ve got great guys in the locker room. In this atmosphere, every single night’s just a blessing. I’m just trying to make the most of this opportunity.”
This is all feeling like David Wright 2.0 to me. Like The Captain before him, Pete Alonso is saying all the right things and doing all the right things. How lucky can you get…
