One of the New York Mets’ Stars Has, Sneakily, Been Hitting Very Well

Pete Alonso has earned his high standards. He has a career .860 OPS. OPS wise, last year was by far his worst in a full season. The first baseman’s OPS dropped nearly .50 points from 2022 to last year. His 2023 on base percentage was all the way down to .318.

New York still offered Alonso a very respectable seven year, 158 million dollar extension. Alonso and his camp rejected the deal. Making over 22 million dollars a year well into your thirties as a first baseman is very good. It was by no means a disrespectful offer to the Mets’ star.

Alonso declining the offer initially led to some bad feelings among Mets fans about Alonso.

When Alonso did not get off to a hot start this year, the fan discourse about him did not improve. The first two months of the year were not up to Alonso’s standards. He was an above average hitter, but not by much. The first baseman had a .772 OPS in the first half of the season. A .772 OPS for a first baseman who is not a great fielder is not worth much.

Alonso’s struggles overlapped with New York’s struggles and quickly Alonso’s name was constantly in trade talks. For a while, it seemed like Alonso would not finish the year as a Met.

However, the Mets’ excellent June run catapulted them into the playoff race. Alonso was a part of the run, with an .898 OPS in June. Alonso struggled in early July, but he has been very good since the All Star break.

Alonso has an OPS over .900 since the break. It has been great to see Alonso not be a home run or nothing guy. Last year, Alonso hit his second most home runs in a season, but had his lowest OPS.

Alonso has a .267 average and a .380 OBP since the All Star break. Alonso should not be a .217 average hitter, like he was last year. He has good bat to ball skills and can have a great eye. The first baseman hit .260 in his best season.

Alonso is clearly making an effort to sit back and hit line drives. Since the break, he has consistently shot line drives up the middle.

The 29 year old is doing a better job realizing that he has a great team around him and that he does not have to do it all with one swing. Alonso has been much better at looking for a simple base knock to keep the train rolling.

Alonso is an excellent hitter. Mets fans have expected 50 home run seasons ever since he put up 53 in his rookie year. It is hard for him to live up to fans’ expectations, but right now he is doing his job.

This could very well be the last 5 weeks of Pete Alonso’s time as a Met. Fans should appreciate him before it is too late.