Every so often, there’s a player that comes around that sticks out from the pack.

The Mets currently have a lot of home grown talent. Jacob deGrom is battling for his second consecutive Cy Young award, Amed Rosario is slowly but surely becoming the shortstop we had imagined, Seth Lugo is a lock down reliever, and Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil give New York some of the best young players they’ve had in awhile.

But one I didn’t mention is Pete Alonso, who is in a category of his own.

There are few players in recent memory who came up with as much fanfare as Alonso. Obviously when Conforto, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz came up in 2015, each carried their own excitement. Matt Harvey in 2012 and Zack Wheeler in 2013 were also big, but Alonso was just different.

And he lived up to all the hype! For Alonso, what a rookie year it’s been. He appeared in the All-Star game where he drove in a run. He won the Home Run Derby. He broke the Mets single season home run record, the National League home run record for a rookie and is on his way to potentially setting the all-time home run record for a rookie.

What he has done off the field, however, exemplifies a leader, and someone who is sculpting himself into the team captain.

For me, Alonso possesses many of the same qualities as David Wright. After Wright’s last game at the end of last season, his presence in the locker room and impact on the fan base alike would be sorely missed.

Alonso has come up and picked right up where Wright left off.

The young first baseman is always available to the media, is a support system for his teammates, battles for them and has a positive impact on and off the playing field.

For example, when he won the Home Run Derby in July, he donated five percent of his winnings to the Wounded Warrior Project and another five percent to Tunnel To Towers.

“That’s what I want to do,” Alonso said a couple months prior to the Derby. “I feel really lucky and I feel like all of us are, because without brave men and women who have served this country, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”

“This sport probably wouldn’t exist. We wouldn’t have the freedom to do what we do. It’s a high price to pay. I just want to recognize all the good things those men and women do for this country.”

On Sept. 11, he bought cleats for each member of the team to wear to honor the people who died, served or were involved in the terrorist attacks.

“It just comes from a place where I want to show support to not just the victims but the family members as well because no one really knows how deep those emotional scars can be,” Alonso said after the Sept. 11 game.

“I just want to show recognition to all the people who are heroes – just ordinary people that felt a sense of urgency and an admirable call of duty. This is for all those people who lost their lives and all of those people who did so much to help.”

Alonso has what it takes to be the future captain of this team, and has already made himself the unofficial captain this season.