BALTIMORE -- What else is there to say about Pete Alonso’s stellar first year with the Orioles?
Here’s a new one: Alonso’s 2026 season was so great that it earned him All-MLB recognition.
2026 MLB Awards
• Alvarez, PCA become 1st-time winners of Hank Aaron Award
• Yordan, Wheeler named Comeback Players of the Year
• World Series star Contreras the very definition of first Flow Mayor Award
• Cowser's game-ending homer robbery named Premier Play of Year
• Neander becomes two-time Executive of the Year winner
• Yordan unseats Ohtani for Outstanding DH, first new winner in 6 years
On Wednesday, Alonso was named to the 2026 All-MLB First Team during the MLB Awards Show presented by MGM Rewards in Las Vegas. It marks the second time the Polar Bear has received the All-MLB honor, as the slugging first baseman was also selected for the First Team in 2019, following his rookie campaign with the Mets.
Alonso bested Boston’s Willson Contreras, who was the first baseman on the Second Team.
The All-MLB Team, which was established in 2019, honors the top player at each position based solely on regular-season performance. A panel of experts and online fan balloting each account for 50 percent of the vote.
It’s another well-deserved honor for Alonso, who won Baltimore’s Most Valuable Oriole Award and was also named an American League Silver Slugger Award finalist. (Silver Slugger winners will be announced on Tuesday.)
Signed to a five-year, $155 million deal last Dec. 11, Alonso arrived in Baltimore with a ton of expectations placed upon him entering his eighth MLB season -- but his first outside of New York. The Orioles brought in Alonso hoping he’d become a leader and a potent everyday bat in the heart of their lineup.
After a bit of a slow start, Alonso went on to play up to his full potential for most of the year. And by the time the season was over, his numbers were as impressive as usual.
Alonso led the AL in both home runs (43) and RBIs (113). He also paced the O’s in hits (161), runs scored (100), batting average (.267), slugging percentage (.522) and OPS (.885).
It was arguably Alonso’s best showing since his breakout 2019 campaign. His 5.0 Wins Above Replacement (per Baseball-Reference) was the second-highest mark of his career, behind only the 5.4 bWAR he posted in ’19.
In September, Alonso did all he could to try to power the Orioles into the postseason. He hit 11 homers with a 1.037 OPS over 23 games during the final month, but Baltimore came up short, finishing 79-82 and in fourth place in the AL East.
“I just want to leave it all out there,” Alonso said late in the season. “I really love playing the game, and for me, I just want to be all I can be and do whatever I can every single night to win the game, you know? I really take pride in wanting to win and giving it all I have.”
That’s more important to Alonso than any individual awards and accolades. So while his season was a tremendous one from a personal standpoint, he was disappointed the team didn’t fare better as a whole.
The good news for the O’s is that Alonso will be here for at least four more years -- and, based on 2026, it doesn’t look like the 31-year-old will be slowing down anytime soon.