The latest Pete Alonso news
Pete Alonso tied for the Minor League lead with 36 homers over 132 games last season and although fans were disappointed that he didn't get called up in September, their patience should soon be rewarded. Whether Alonso makes the Opening Day roster is still to be determined, but either way, it's likely he'll be in New York sooner rather than later. Here's the latest news and updates on the Mets' No. 1 prospect:
March 27: Alonso makes Opening Day roster (source)
Alonso will be on the Mets' Opening Day roster, a source told MLB.com's Anthony DiComo on Wednesday.
The Mets play the Nationals on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET at Nationals Park. Read more >
March 25: Alonso has first hitless game since March 15
Alonso started at first base and went 0-for-3 Monday, drawing a walk and scoring a run. It was Alonso's first hitless spring game since March 15. He's hitting .352 in Spring Training, with a .620 slugging percentage, even after Monday's results.
March 24: Alonso starts strong with a triple
While it still appears Alonso's closing in on an Opening Day roster spot, his average dipped to .368 following a 1-for-4 performance. The DH in today's action versus the Nationals, he tripled and scored in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to seven games.
March 23: Alonso continues his hot streak
There's seemingly no stopping Alonso these days. The first baseman turned in another solid offensive performance, the latest of several in what has been a very impressive Spring Training. Alonso went 3-for-5 with an RBI and also scored a trio of runs. He is now hitting .375 in spring and his chances at cracking the Opening Day roster appear to be pretty good.
Alonso also flashed some leather and made a nice defensive stop.
March 22: Alonso picks up a pair of hits
Alonso is hitting .356 after finishing 2-for-5 with a pair of hits against the Cardinals. Alonso drove in a run via an RBI single in the second inning and has picked up at least one hit in five straight games.
March 21: Alonso extends hitting streak
Alonso's average dipped to .352 following a 1-for-4 performance against the Marlins, but the Mets' top prospect has a hit in four straight games and has impressed throughout Spring Training.
March 18: Alonso picks up pinch-hit single
Alonso came to the plate just once against the Nationals and singled up the middle, boosting his Spring Training average to .360.
March 17: Alonso hits fourth homer
While everyone wonders whether Alonso is going to crack the Opening Day roster, the Mets' No. 1 prospect continues to make a strong case that he should open the season in New York. Alonso went deep for the fourth time this spring on Sunday, hitting a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning of the Mets' loss to the Nationals. Alonso finished the afternoon 1-for-4 and is hitting .347 in Spring Training.
March 16: Alonso singles, drives in run
After going hitless in his lone plate appearance on Friday, Alonso got back in the hit column with an RBI single on Saturday. The Mets' No.1 prospect drove in a run in the fourth and despite going 1-for-5, is still hitting .356 in Spring Training.
March 15: Alonso retired in lone plate appearance
Alonso entered the Mets' loss to the Nationals as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and grounded out in what turned out to be his lone plate appearance. However, Alonso did join the broadcast booth earlier in the game to discuss his Spring Training experience thus far.
March 14: Alonso gets back in hit column vs. Cardinals
After going 0-for-3 Wednesday, Alonso picked up a hit in the Mets' 1-1 tie against St. Louis on Thursday. Batting fifth in the order, Alonso roped a second-inning single to center field off Michael Wacha. He flied out to right and lined out to shortstop in his other two at-bats before being lifted in the seventh inning. The 24-year-old is hitting .368/.415/.711 with three homers in 41 plate appearances this spring.
March 13: Alonso goes hitless vs. Astros
After a day off Tuesday, Alonso went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the Mets' 2-1 win over the Astros, failing to reach base for just the second time in 12 Spring Training games. While he went hitless, he narrowly missed extra bases on two occasions. In the fourth inning, he came up just short of his fourth homer of the spring when he lined a shot to the right-field wall against the wind. And in the seventh, he hit lined the first pitch of the inning down the left-field line, but it hooked just foul. His slash line stands at .371/.421/.743.
Alonso stayed red hot by clobbering a drive deep into the left-center gap that banged off the wall for a hard-hit double as part of a 1-for-3 effort in the Mets' 6-3 loss to the Astros on Monday.
Oh, and the first baseman later doled out some more damage -- albeit accidentally -- when he collided with Josh Reddick on a play at first. Both players came away OK, so just chalk it up as another "hard hit" by Alonso.
March 10: Mets' top prospect picks up another hit
Alonso went 1-for-3 with a base hit in the Mets 9-1 win over the Cardinals. In addition to recording single, the organization's No. 1 prospect drew a walk and scored a run. Alonso is now hitting .414 in Spring Training.
Now batting .423/.464/.885 across 9 games after a 2-for-4 performance, Alonso collected his third homer this spring -- a solo blast in the Mets' 10-2 victory over the Red Sox.
March 7: Alonso picks up a pair of hits
Alonso didn't go yard, but the 24-year-old did pick up two hits and is still blistering at the plate. Alonso, hitting .409, went 2-for-5 including a double, as the Mets lost 6-4 to the Nationals.
March 4: Alonso hits second homer of Spring Training
Alonso stayed hot with another strong performance, finishing 2-for-3 with a homer in the Mets' 7-4 win over the Astros. Alonso showed off his impressive power with a solo blast in the sixth inning and is hitting .412 so far in Spring Training.
Fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster, Alonso has clearly been on fire at the plate and has also been putting in extra work on defense, the aspect of his game that had been viewed as a weakness.
Should Alonso impress this spring -- so far in six Spring Training games he's batting .357/.438/.643 -- the front office will carry him on the Opening Day roster, according to Mets beat reporter Anthony DiComo. The chances of both 24-year-old Alonso and first baseman Dominic Smith, 23, making the team, however, are much slimmer.
This, in part, depends on Todd Frazier and whether he, and his oblique injury, can get some first base reps and avoid the injured list at the start of the season.
Feb. 23: Alonso homers in Mets' spring opener
Pete Alonso entered camp hoping to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster and he certainly put forth a good impressions. The Mets' top prospect homered on the first pitch he saw, showcasing the power that helped him belt 36 homers a season ago.
"I love moments [like that]," Alonso said. "I love being challenged. That's one of the things I take pride in is stepping up and not backing away from a challenge."
All eyes are on Pete Alonso in Mets camp this season. First, everyone is anxious to see how he performs and then if he performs well, what will the Mets do?
While keeping Alonso in the Minors to start the season would afford the Mets an extra year of control down the line, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen has stated that if Alonso proves he deserves to be on the team then he'll be on the Opening Day roster.
Of course what a team states publicly and what it eventually does don't always line up, but Alonso isn't worried about any of that right now and is simply going out and trying to perform in Spring Training.
"I can only control what I can control," Alonso said. "That's all I can do. The only thing I can control is with my own two hands, playing well in the field, that's really it. Hitting the ball, playing good defense, that's all I can do. And whatever happens, happens."
There's plenty of excitement and anticipation as Spring Training nears. Mets' fans had hoped to see Alonso at the end of 2018 and after his strong performance in the Arizona Fall League, they're now hoping to see him in New York on Opening Day 2019.
While it would make sense for the Mets to keep Alonso in Triple-A for a bit longer because of service time considerations, the club has said it is going to give him every opportunity to make the team and the first baseman is embracing the challenge
"I have to just trust the process," Alonso said late last season. "I'm just going to use that as motivation to get better for next year. Have a good winter, getting faster, stronger, and show up for camp ready to go."