In today’s game, most of the focus in Major League Baseball revolves around offense, and while first baseman Pete Alonso excels in that department, his defense also became a crucial aspect of his craft during the 2021 season.

Since emerging into the majors in 2019, Alonso has been highly regarded because of his incredible offensive abilities, which saw him break the rookie home run record by hitting 53 long balls in a single season. As a result, he’s quickly developed into a key weapon within the middle of the New York Mets’ batting order, solidifying himself as one of the top hitters in baseball.

Despite all of his upside at the plate — and there’s a ton of it — the 26-year-old acted as a defensive liability at first base over his first two campaigns in the majors, limiting his overall value as a reliable first baseman.

Proving to be an ineffective defender, Alonso committed 17 errors while also posting a -4 DRS and a -11 OAA rating over his 1,648 1/3 innings of work on the right side of the infield from 2019-2020.

Based on these concerning results, there was plenty of debate regarding whether the 6’3″ infielder would be able to remain at first base long term or if he’d require a positional change in the near future. Luckily for everyone involved, the young slugger focused on improving his defensive skills last winter, which paid off in a huge way throughout this past season.

Overcoming his previous woes, Alonso’s defense took several positive strides forward in 2021, allowing him to make significant progress in becoming a more all-around contributor. Though very few people believed this part of his craft could reach any sort of high level, that’s just what transpired as he performed as one of the top defenders in the majors.

Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

Making a massive leap from his prior defensive struggles, Alonso compiled 1,243 2/3 innings at first base, generating career bests in DRS (+5) and OAA (+1) during that same span.

As for where these encouraging metrics were placed among the major league leaders, impressively, the right-hander finished tied for the third-most DRS among all qualified first basemen, according to FanGraphs.com. Additionally, he also ranked tied for the sixth-highest OAA rating among those same qualifications, according to BaseballSavant.com.

Combining all of these factors together, it seemed like Alonso’s chances to be considered in the running for the National League Gold Glove Award were fairly decent, unfortunately, he didn’t make the cut this time around. In turn, Max Muncy, Paul Goldschmidt and Freddie Freeman were named as the three finalists for the NL’s first baseman accolade.

Nevertheless, coming up short involving this defensive competition shouldn’t take away from the remarkable progression the former second-round selection displayed throughout the 2021 campaign. If nothing else, the success he enjoyed should serve as a solid building block for what’s next to come in his young career.

In just one season, Alonso went from one of the most unreliable defensive first basemen in the majors to someone who almost certainly received at least some minor consideration to serve as one of the three Gold Glove finalists – that’s a pretty impressive feat in such a short period of time.

Exploring his adjustments from this past season, the right-handed first baseman focused on improving his lateral movements heading into 2021, which had plagued him considerably in previous years. In particular, ranging to his left became a major priority during his third campaign in the majors, an area where he struggled mightily through his first two seasons.

Regardless of his positioning, no matter if he were aligned straight up, close to the foul line or in the hole between first and second base, Alonso faltered on almost every occasion when chasing balls to the left of himself – making for some frustrating results.

Here’s how Alonso performed when ranging towards the foul line from 2019-2020:

Overall, Alonso earned a -3 OAA rating over 64 fielding attempts from 2019-2020 when tasked with ranging towards first base. Making matters worse, he performed even more poorly when he was needed to range to his right, resulting in an alarming -5 OAA rating through 162 attempts.

Though moving to his right remained an issue in 2021, his performance while ranging in the opposite direction proved to be far more successful, as he generated a +4 OAA rating over 54 attempts in that area.

And here’s how Alonso fared when travelling towards the foul line in 2021:

Given this was just one season’s worth of positive results, it’s difficult to determine whether or not Alonso will be able to sustain his defensive production in future seasons. Having said that, his newfound agility should be an aspect he can lean on moving forward, especially if he continues to enhance it.

Another way the former top prospect can remain an effective defender is to reduce the number of errors committed, which saw him tied for the fourth-most (eight) in that category among all first basemen this past season. While he’s on the right path to achieve that goal, experiencing another positive push in 2022, particularly involving his throwing decisions, should help improve his metrics even further.

Considering Alonso has repeatedly stated in the past that he possesses no interest in transitioning into a full-time designated hitter, that is, assuming the new Collective Bargaining Agreement features a universal DH, becoming a reliable defender should help prevent him from needing to change positions.

Paired with his all-star offensive production, first base will likely be an area the Mets won’t need to concern themselves with next season, aside from providing the Florida native with an occasional day off. In an effort to keep his bat in the lineup during those off-days, utilizing him as the DH would be the most ideal way to do so, meaning he might play close to 162 games once again just as he did as a rookie.

While it may not seem like it, at least right now, Alonso has transformed into far more than just a power-hungry hitter and is someone who could lead this team at the plate and in the field for many years to come.