In the midst of another heart-wrenching loss, Pete Alonso once again carried the Mets offensively on Friday night.
In the fourth inning, Alonso hit his 29th home run of the season to tie the game at one run apiece. Then in the next inning, Alonso doubled home Jeff McNeil to break the tie and the give the Mets a 2-1 lead. In doing so, Alonso tied Albert Pujols‘ record for most RBI by an NL rookie prior to the All-Star break with 66.
Unfortunately, Alonso’s two RBI were not enough to get the win, as the Mets bullpen once again imploded in the ninth inning, allowing five runs.
Despite another loss, Alonso continues to give Mets fans a reason to stay tuned and watch every day. In his first season, Alonso is already making a claim for being one of the best hitters in baseball. His 29 home runs are the third-best mark in the MLB, while he ranks in the top-5 amongst NL hitters in many major offensive categories, such as RBIs (66), slugging percentage (.634) and OPS (1.007).
Alonso already owns the Mets record for the most home runs hit by a rookie. But at this point, it is foolish to limit Alonso to rookie records, as he is well on his way to one of the greatest seasons a Mets hitters has ever had.
By picking up two more extra-base hits last night, Alonso now has 52 on the season, which is an MLB record for a rookie before the All-Star break. The Mets record for most extra-base hits in a season is held by both Carlos Beltran and Howard Johnson with 80, which is well within Alonso’s reach. Along with extra-base hits, Alonso could conceivably break Mets single-season records for most home runs (41), RBI (124) and his current slugging percentage would also be the best mark ever.
The “Polar Bear Pete” show is about to hit the national stage this week, with Alonso set to star in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. One could argue that the derby is going to be the climax of this Mets season, as Alonso tries to become the first Met to win the event since Darryl Strawberry was a co-winner back in 1986.
Along with playing in the Home Run Derby, Alonso will also make his first All-Star appearance on Tuesday night. He is just the fourth Mets rookie to ever be named an All-Star and is the first ever position player with the other three being pitchers.
It really feels like Alonso is breaking a new record every day as he showcases his incredible power. The Mets haven’t had a position player this talented since David Wright burst onto the scene in 2005, with his first of four-straight 100-RBI seasons.
In a lot of ways, the combination of Alonso with fellow All-Star Jeff McNeil, feels very similar to those Wright and Jose Reyes led teams of the 2000s. Alonso has the rare combination of raw power and plate discipline that will keep him at the top of the sport for years to come.
While the wins have been hard to come by all year, Alonso has been a constant reminder that the future is not all lost with this current iteration of the New York Mets.
