The New York Mets star first baseman put together one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time. Pete Alonso was incredible from start to finish and gave the Mets their future captain for years to come.
.@Pete_Alonso20 has hit more HR (53) than any rookie in @MLB history. pic.twitter.com/54JyBrzMIz
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) September 29, 2019
Alonso stamped his name on baseball history multiple times this season. He moved his way up the single season rookie home run records to eventually finish with 53 home runs which was the most ever by a rookie and led the MLB. To go along with the homers, he hit .260 with a .583 slugging percentage, 30 doubles, 72 walks and 120 runs batted in.
Alonso hit a wall in July as he hit .177, but hit .264 for the last two months of the season. At times, Alonso chased outside of the zone because he was tired of being pitched around. Towards the end of the season, his strikeouts increased and his walks decreased. As he gets adjusted to the league more, he should be able to push 100 walks in a season.
Defense? No Problem!
One of the major questions surrounding Alonso was his ability to play first base. From what the scouts said, many would think Alonso could not field to save his life. Since the start of the season, his defense has gradually improved to a point where he is fully capable of being an everyday first baseman.
??? New Rain Delay Theater! ???
Pete Alonso tells @SteveGelbs and @WayneRandazzo that questions regarding his defense pushed him to be great: "I had a chip…I want to prove even more so that I'm not at all what people are saying"https://t.co/u2Z25ujfIF pic.twitter.com/JwRxABKf1P
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 12, 2019
Alonso had a .990 fielding percentage and the sabermetrics rated him as an average fielder. He spent plenty of time throughout the year becoming a capable defender. The only criticism on his defense was that he was too aggressive, but the Mets would rather have that than Alonso being tentative.
The New Captain?
From the beginning, it seems like Alonso understood what it took to be a leader. From supporting first responders to facing the media everyday the same way David Wright did, the Mets embraced him as their leader. Alonso played in 161 games and wished he could be out there for the one game he missed. His character is something the Mets missed while Wright was on the shelf and Alonso took the reigns during his first year in Flushing.
Alonso is a lock for the Rookie of the Year award and will even receive some MVP and Silver Slugger votes. He will headline the young Mets for the next few years and bring relevance back to Citi Field.
Grades:
Contact: C, once he improves his strikeout rate he can reach .280-.290 with his average.
Power: A+, unmatched and led the MLB in homers.
Defense: B, one of the hardest working guys in the organization.
Speed/Baserunning: C-, only 1 stolen base, but a good baserunner with surprising speed.
Overall: A+, the Mets could not have asked for a better season.