'More comfortable' Alonso swats another HR

This time last year, when camps across Major League Baseball were in the process of shutting down, Pete Alonso found himself sitting on a .244 spring average with no home runs. That slump seemed to continue into Summer Camp, then the regular season, which saw Alonso take significant steps back from his National League Rookie of the Year Award-winning campaign of 2019.

Already, this spring is different. While homering Thursday to provide the only run in the Mets’ 1-0 win over the Astros in West Palm Beach, Fla., Alonso increased his Grapefruit League average to .313 with two home runs. In what should be a critical year for him, Alonso believes he’s in a much more comfortable place.

“I think a lot more comfortable, for sure,” Alonso said. “I feel like that my progression is going really well right now. I’m extremely, extremely satisfied with how everything’s going right now. I just want to kind of continue this good form, this good momentum. I feel like I’m in a pretty good flow of things right now. I just want to keep coming in and working diligently and sticking to my plan.”

For Alonso, that largely means restraining himself from swinging at pitches out of the zone; he believes he’s only chased four all spring, which is a positive sign for the first baseman. He’s also doing more damage on balls in the zone, which was perhaps an even greater issue last summer. In addition to his two homers, Alonso also has a pair of doubles among his five spring hits.

Some warning signs -- specifically, seven strikeouts in 20 plate appearances -- still exist. But the Mets believe Alonso is closer to the 2019 version of himself than he was a year ago.

“Pete is a hard worker,” manager Luis Rojas said. “He’s always trying to get better. And whenever he doesn’t get results, he’s going to try harder. But we’re seeing probably a little more experience in terms of handling that from at-bat to at-bat.”

Money matters
Both Alonso and infielder Jeff McNeil said they harbor no ill will to the organization despite their decisions not to agree to terms on 2021 contracts. The move is essentially a silent protest for pre-arbitration players like Alonso and McNeil, who have no real compensation rights until they accrue three years of service time. By not agreeing to terms, Alonso and McNeil forced the Mets to renew their salaries at close to the Major League minimum, which they would have made anyway.

“Absolutely no bitterness at all,” Alonso said. “Right now, there’s very little that I can do. … This is the only right I have, and I thought it would be best to exercise that right.”

Added McNeil: “We thought it was best at this point in my career just to renew it and go from there.”

From the trainer’s room
The Mets are hopeful that starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who is nursing a bout of right elbow soreness, can begin throwing off flat ground as soon as Sunday. Carrasco has called the soreness somewhat normal for him at this point in spring, but the fact that he won’t appear in Grapefruit League games until at least mid-March makes it plausible he’ll miss Opening Day.

“He’s feeling better,” Rojas said.

Mets cetera
• Dominic Smith is tentatively scheduled to debut in left field on Friday, after being limited to first base and designated hitter over the first week-plus of Grapefruit League games. Although the Mets want Smith to take significant reps in left, which will be his primary position during the regular season, they feared overtaxing him early in spring given his history of a stress fracture two years ago.

• Outfielder José Martínez underwent successful surgery this week to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. In a Twitter post in Spanish, Martínez thanked all who sent their good wishes. He is expected to miss around four months.

• The Mets have yet to approach shortstop prospect Ronny Mauricio about potentially switching positions, though Rojas said he’s glad the 19-year-old has an open mind about doing so. That could become necessary if the Mets sign Francisco Lindor to a long-term extension.

“I always think that versatility is a strength, especially at a young age," Rojas said.