SARASOTA, Fla. -- A little more than three weeks ago, Pete Alonso participated in his first Spring Training workout as a member of the Orioles. In 20 days, the 31-year-old slugger will play his first real game as an Oriole, with Baltimore set to open the 2026 season vs. Minnesota on March 26 at Camden Yards.
At around the halfway point of the Polar Bear's first spring in Sarasota, he chatted with MLB.com about his new team, his leadership ability, his excitement level for Opening Day and various other topics.
MLB.com: First off, how's it going of late? What's it been like getting acclimated to a new team with different players?
Alonso: It’s been really good. ... I really feel like I’m developing some pretty good, strong relationships with everybody, and the whole group being together, it’s awesome. With [Tyler] O’Neill and Gunnar [Henderson] and a couple other guys leaving [for the World Baseball Classic], they’re going to perform awesome, and they’re going to use this experience to help us win some games during the year. I mean, this group’s really special, and especially when everyone’s together. Like [Tuesday], it’s funny. It was really profound when, not having everybody, things were just a little off.
So that just shows how, I feel like, tightly knit this group is going to be this year. Because when you don’t have all the pieces, it’s just a little off. But when we get everyone collective together, it’s just going to be awesome.
MLB.com: Has this organization made for an easy transition for you?
Alonso: Yeah, 100 percent. Everyone was very, very welcoming. Very awesome. Not just players, but staff, trainers, clubbies. Also, it really helped having some guys that I played with and against. So it’s been awesome so far.
MLB.com: You recently called Baltimore the "perfect fit" for you. Why is that?
Alonso: I feel like, for me, it started off in the [first] meeting with [president of baseball operations] Mike [Elias] and [manager] Craig [Albernaz] where it’s like, they’re outlining everything they’re telling me and having the complete blueprint of everything. It’s the curating of talent, the curating of personalities that go along with that, that complement that, how certain pieces fit. And then, also living it, like being in this existence. Honestly, I just feel so lucky to come to the yard every day.
MLB.com: You play more Spring Training games than most players of your caliber. Why is that, and how does that help get you ready for the season?
Alonso: For me, I always find for myself you can’t necessarily replicate game ABs other than doing it. So I think being in it, being in the box, seeing the ball come live off the bat, get live in-game reads. The best way of preparing is to do, for me at least. For me, just having that game experience, seeing as many arms as possible, just being put in those situations that I would be seeing during the season, I think it’s a good thing.
The more opportunities, the better. I’ve always found myself giving myself a longer runway in spring to be like, ‘Hey, let’s see where we’re at. Let’s challenge ourselves.’ Because then that really gives you honest feedback.
MLB.com: During Tuesday's game, you called your own mound visit with the infield during a sloppy start and emphasized playing cleaner baseball. How important is that to do in the spring?
Alonso: Make it a habit so it’s not a focal point during the year. You make a habit of it, you continuously work on it, work on it the right way, then it should become a non-issue during the year. Creating good habits early so there’s no panic or there’s no readjusting later on, it’s setting the standard and playing up to that. We do that, we play clean baseball, we’re going to put ourselves in a really good position at the end of the year, if we can execute that.
MLB.com: Where did you learn these leadership skills from?
Alonso: Honestly, it’s a combination of lived experience and, again, I think for me, the biggest thing is I want to win so bad and I want to be able to pour whatever energy and effort I can into the people around me. Obviously, I want to support and deliver with my own performance. But then also, I want to be able to help everybody, because it’s a team. It’s a team goal, it’s a team aspiration, to win a World Series, and it’s a long way. And if things aren’t taken care of, things slip away over the course of time.
I’ve been a part of teams that have underperformed. I’ve been a part of teams that have had postseason success. I’ve never won it all, but there are a lot of things and lessons that I’ve lived and learned through. I’ve had a lot of great veterans and I've played with a lot of guys that go about their business the right way.
MLB.com: Opening Day is quickly approaching. Is the excitement building for you?
Alonso: I’m beyond stoked. Seeing all the festivities, the orange carpet, fireworks, flyovers, Camden’s going to be rocking. Seeing people getting into downtown, tailgating, hanging out, cultivating that super fun party atmosphere, like I’m ready. I’m ready to see what it’s all about. I’ve heard nothing but phenomenal things and how fun it is, but I’m just ready to see it.
MLB.com: There's a lot of talent in this O's clubhouse. How good do you believe this team will be?
Alonso: There’s championship aspirations because of the talent. If you don’t have that type of talent, that’s not the goal. The goal is to win it all at the end of the year. Talent’s great, you need to have it. Good teams all have talent. But there are tiny little things that separate it. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best team or the worse team, you have talent, because it’s the big leagues. There are tiny separators over the course of the season. It’s about staying on top of our business, going about things the right way, playing clean baseball.
If we do that over the course of time, that’s going to help get us in the door in the postseason. And when the postseason comes around, it’s just about capturing the moment.
MLB.com: And you think this group has what it takes to separate itself from the competition in that way?
Alonso: No doubt. One hundred percent. And for me, we have the talent, we have the right people. It’s just a matter of executing. Executing on a night-in, night-out basis.