Pete Alonso’s assessment of returning Edwin Diaz will have Mets fans hyped

A big reason why the New York Mets were considered one of the National League's elite teams entering the 2023 season had a lot to do with who they had closing games for them, Edwin Diaz.

The Mets closer was coming off one of the best seasons a Mets relief pitcher has ever had, posting a 1.31 ERA in 61 appearances and 62 innings pitched, striking out an absurd 50.2% of the batters who came up to the plate to face him. Diaz played a major role in the Mets winning 101 games and making it to the postseason in 2022, and was ready to repeat fresh off of signing a five-year contract worth $102 million - the largest for a reliever in MLB history.

Unfortunately for Diaz and the Mets, some things just aren't meant to be. Diaz tore his ACL celebrating a win in the World Baseball Classic, knocking him out for the entire 2023 season. As a result, the Mets limped to a 75-87 finish, missing the playoffs in embarrassing fashion.

There isn't much for Mets fans to be excited about ahead of the 2024 season, especially with their ace, Kodai Senga, expected to miss the beginning of the year, but Diaz's return is absolutely one of them. Early returns from the beginning of Spring Training should only get fans more excited.

Edwin Diaz looking like he's in midseason form should have Mets fans elated

The Mets have made sure to bring the reliever along slowly in an effort to keep him healthy. When he's been on the mound, he's been absolutely nasty, just ask the team's most feared slugger, Pete Alonso.

When Alonso faced Diaz in a live bullpen session, he proclaimed Diaz was the "same guy". If true, the Mets just got a whole lot better, and the season just got much more exciting.

Diaz was very clearly the best and most dominant reliever in all of baseball in the 2022 season. Just look at all of that red on his Baseball Savant page! Opponents struggled to simply make contact, let alone put a ball in play, as evidenced by his historically great strikeout rate.

If the Mets want to go anywhere, they're going to need their closer to protect the leads that they wind up building. It'll be hard enough for the Mets to enter the ninth inning with leads, knowing that they'll have games locked down whenever Diaz takes the ball is a huge deal.