New York Mets All-Star Pete Alonso sees the glass half full regarding his body of work for the 2024 MLB season.
Alonso is on pace to notch career lows in several hitting categories this year. His 25 home runs and 63 RBIs have him slated to finish the 2024 campaign with 35 homers and 88 runs batted in. While those numbers are notable, they pale in comparison to the 46 home runs and 118 RBIs he recorded in 2023, his 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019, and his career-high 131 RBIs in 2022.
For Alonso though, winning, coupled with his confidence at the plate is what matters most to him as the Mets navigate through the most crucial stage of their jockeying for playoff positioning in the National League.
Mets: Pete Alonso is valuing winning over gaudy individual stats
Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Florida native recently had this to say about his play and what he’s looking forward to as the season winds down:
“I mean, I’m on pace for close to 40 homers,” Alonso said. “I’m an All-Star, or I was an All-Star this year. So to beat myself up or be frustrated, it’s really no use. And I’m really excited for the end of the year where we get to play winning baseball.”
Alonso’s down individual season could coincide with his best playoff run
Alonso has only been to the playoffs once since entering the league in 2019. Further, the four-time All-Star has not made it past the Wild Card round in the NL, having made his only appearance in 2021, the season he led the Mets to 101 wins.
It is true that Alonso is not flirting with records at the plate this season. However, the Mets have been rolling since June, and have gone 37-22 in that span with Alonso in the lineup. New York is currently one spot out of the Wild Card race behind the No. 6-seeded Atlanta Braves in the standings. Their position constantly fluctuates, but could very well end with them slated to compete for a World Series this fall.
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The No. 1-seeded Philadelphia Phillies and No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers are two juggernauts that appear to be the clear-cut favorites atop the NL. Albeit, Alonso has led the Mets to a winning record over the San Diego Padres (3-0), and .500 against the Arizona Diamondbacks (2-2) and Atlanta Braves (5-5) thus far.
The Mets have a good chance to unseat any one of those three teams that respectively sit ahead of them in the standings at the present. There is no telling which way the wind will blow for the 29-year-old at the plate as the season draws to a close.
His 12.3 percent barrel percentage, which places him in the 83rd percentile in that category, suggests that his exit velocity and launch angle on hits are where they need to be for him to experience success down the stretch of the year and turn things up in a hopeful playoff run. A win in the 2024 NLWC will make 2024 Alonso’s most accomplished campaign so far. Anything more than that will hold major weight on his career resume.
