Pete Alonso has spent much of the last week going viral, much to Baltimore Orioles fans’ pleasure and New York Mets fans’ … well, we’d call it dismay, but Citi Field viewed things far differently.
Alonso has since left New York in more ways than one, and the Orioles are back in Charm City for their final home series. The five-time All-Star hit his 39th and 40th homers in Monday’s 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, becoming only the ninth player in franchise history to join such a club.
Fans might dig the long ball, but Alonso has done far more than round the bases so frequently. He entered Tuesday leading the American League with 108 RBIs, and he's only three behind the Cardinals' Alec Burleson for the most in the majors. Despite a relatively slow start, the veteran first baseman has a healthy lead over the Astros' Yordan Alvarez (99) and Rays' Junior Caminero (97) with six games left.
All of that sounds great, but here’s the kicker: At his current pace, Alonso would become the first player in MLB history to lead the AL and NL in RBIs in two separate seasons; he and Aaron Judge tied for an MLB-high 131 RBIs in 2022.
Pete Alonso continues to further humiliate Steve Cohen’s New York Mets
First off, can we just appreciate the fact that no player has ever won the RBI title in separate leagues? You’d think Frank Robinson would have done it seeing as he became the first player to win the MVP in both the AL and NL, but apparently not. Our dark horse pick would have been Mark McGwire.
Alonso’s 4.6 bWAR is his highest since 2019, and he's on track to finish with career highs in on-base percentage (.359) and walk rate (11.4 percent). He cleared the 300-homer mark last week and is currently at 304, so he stands an excellent chance at reaching 400 within the coming years.
All of this follows the Mets allegedly not making Alonso — their all-time home run leader and one of the most beloved players in the post-David Wright era — a formal contract offer this past offseason. Steve Cohen and David Stearns instead opted for Jorge Polanco, who hit .148 with a .431 OPS and -1.4 bWAR over 37 games. Great job, all.
The concerns about how Alonso would age as a power-heavy first baseman were valid, but not offering him a contract easily ranks among the worst decisions in Mets history. You don’t let one of your all-time greats leave without a fight, especially not when he’s still playing at an All-Star level. It’s not like Alonso had a realistic chance to receive $300 million on the open market.
But “what could have been” is the story of the New York Mets’ existence. How far would they have gone in the postseason had they not collapsed in 2007, 2008, and 2025? Would Tom Seaver have helped the Mets return to form rather than join the Reds in the “Midnight Massacre?”
At least Alonso seemingly landed in a place where leadership respects him — and if they’re smart, they’ll consult him on any potential offseason moves. Here’s an idea: Do everything that the Mets wouldn’t do.
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