In what many in the sport considered a foregone conclusion, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was voted National League Rookie-of-the-Year for 2019 by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The vote by the Writers was not even close as Alonso was named first on 29 of the 30 ballots.

In winning the coveted award, Alonso becomes the sixth Met in franchise history to be honored as the National League’s premier rookie. He joins Tom Seaver (1967), Jon Matlack (1972), Darryl Strawberry (1983), Dwight Gooden (1984) and Jacob deGrom (2014) as past winners.

Alonso thanked his family and team mates after the announcement was made. He also pointed to hard work and dedication as his recipe for success.

Mike Soroka of the Atlanta Braves received a first place vote from Andrew Baggarly from The Athletic. The American League Rookie of the Year was Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros, who became the 11th American Leaguer to win the award unanimously.

Pete Alonso, 24, was not even guaranteed a roster spot in spring training, but won the the first-base job and quickly showed he more than belonged in the Major Leagues. Alonso was the first player since 1900 with 11 extra-base hits in his first ten games. Overall, in April he hit .292 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. He won the National League Rookie of the Month award for April, one of three times he won the award his rookie season. He was also voted top rookie in June and in September.

In June, Alonso hit his 26th home run, breaking the National League record for most home runs by a rookie before the All-Star break, surpassing Cody Bellinger. With his 27th home run, Alonso passed Darryl Strawberry for most homers by a Mets rookie, a record that had stood since 1983. Also in June, Alonso was selected to the All-Star game as a reserve. He was entered into the Home Run Derby which he won defeating Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in the final. He donated a percentage of his winnings to charities, a special side of Pete that would surface again on September 11.

On August 15th, he hit his 39th home run which tied Pete for the most home runs by a rookie in National League history. Twelve days later, he hit number 42 which broke the Mets franchise record for homers in a season surpassing Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley. He became the first rookie to break his team’s franchise home record since Johnny Rizzo accomplished the feat for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1938.

When the anniversary of 9/11 rolled around, the Mets were denied permission to wear first responder caps by MLB. That did not deter Pete Alonso. He went from locker to locker noting shoe sizes and cleat types of his team mates. Without permission from MLB and facing a possible sizable fine, he ordered special cleats to be worn on the fateful anniversary.

He told reporters, “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 of the custom airbrushed cleats he and all his teammates wore – the ones honoring the first responders. “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.”

That, more than any of his prodigious numbers shows the kind of man he is and the size of his heart. It is why many tab Alonso as the Mets next captain.

On September 20, Alonso hit his 50th home run, the first Met to reach the 50 homer milestone. Five days later he hit his 51st, becoming the fifth player in MLB history to have at least 51 home runs and 118 RBIs at the age of 24 or younger in a season. He joined 24-year-olds Mickey Mantle (52/130 in 1956), Willie Mays (52/127 in 1955), Ralph Kiner (51/127 in 1947), and Jimmie Foxx (58/169 in 1932).

One week later, on the 27th, he hit home run number 52, tying him with Aaron Judge for the most home runs slugged by a rookie in MLB history. The next day, against Atlanta Braves’ pitcher Mike Foltynewicz, he broke Judge’s record by blasting a 415 foot shot to right center for home run number 53.

His 53 homers led the Majors in 2019 and his 120 RBIs led all rookies. His overall line for the season was .260/.358/.583, 53 HR, 120 RBI, 143 wRC+. In addition to his Rookie of the Year as voted on by the writers, he was also The Sporting News 2019 National League ROY as well as a unanimous choice by Baseball America and Baseball Digest.

The Mets finished three games out of a playoff spot, and had a bumpy ride throughout the 2019 season. One constant was the blossoming of a young athlete who captured New York fans with his caring heart and his mighty strength. Sure he broke the franchises’ home run record for a rookie, the NL home run record for a rookie, and the majors’ rookie home run record, all well and good. But time and time again, Pete Alonso showed that he is way more than the sum of his parts. He was the ultimate team mate, cheerleader and ambassador.

Comparisons to the beloved David Wright even sprang up as the year wore on, and even though he has a long way to go to reach Wright’s lofty accomplishments, he has a pretty good head start.

Soon after he became the all-time single season rookie home run leader, Alonso made a statement to the press that nicely sums up the character of this young man:

“I am just lucky,” Alonso said. “I would run through a wall for every single one of these guys, and the way the team [responded] to everything, the way I have been treated since Day 1, not just in the season and during spring, everyone has treated me with class and respect, so I just have been so overly thankful.”

Congratulations Pete.