Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most pleasant surprises for the New York Mets early on in the 2021 season has been the significant improvement of first baseman Pete Alonso on the defensive side of the ball.

Ever since he was drafted by Sandy Alderson and the Mets in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft, there have been doubts about Alonso’s defense. Throughout his time in the organization, the youngster has heard those critics, and has been working his tail off to improve.

Last offseason, Alonso set lofty expectations for himself, saying one of the ultimate goals of his career is to win a Gold Glove. The 26-year old echoed those sentiments while speaking with reporters just last week saying, “I want that Gold patch.”

“I’ve been told my entire life I’m not a good defender. Even when I got drafted there were people in our front office saying that I’ll never win a Gold Glove, those people are gone now,” he added.

It’s funny to think when Alonso set that goal last season a lot of people, myself included, just kind of laughed it off and didn’t think anything of it. However, fast forward just one year later, and thus far the big man certainly seems to be headed in that direction.

Over the first month of the 2021 season, Alonso has looked like a whole new, much more comfortable and confident defender over at first. The dialed-in youngster’s hard work has been paying off, as he’s flashed the leather early and often on the new campaign.

“I’m really stoked about it, I’m just looking to get better everyday. I’m a man on a mission, I’m ready to go, and I just want to keep continuously getting better and improving,” Alonso said earlier in the season on the strides he’s made defensively.

Over the first 29 games, Alonso has posted +1 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 0 Outs Above Average (OAA), which are both a step in the right direction after he recorded -5 DRS and -5 OAA during the 2020 season.

While it is still a small sample size, Alonso truly has made some significant strides defensively this season.

As shown above, the Polar Bear has already added a handful of spectacular diving and sliding stops to his highlight reel. He’s also showed off his athleticism over at first, coming up huge at times to help save his teammates from errors.

We already know the type of damage Alonso can do at the plate, but if he keeps progressing this way and working this hard on his defense, the Polar Bear will get the last laugh and could be taking home some gold before you know it.