Pete Alonso, New York Mets
April 11th is a significant date for Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, even though it doesn’t actually mean anything. This date matters because if New York had decided to start him in Triple-A in 2019, this would’ve been their first opportunity to promote Alonso while also gaining an extra year of team control.
Instead of doing that, the right-handed slugger has been in the big leagues since Opening Day and has made an immediate impact. That’s not totally shocking — he was on many preseason radars when it came to the National League Rookie of the Year conversation.
However, it’s safe to assume not many expected the kind of production he’s put together thus far.
Per @EliasSports: Pete Alonso is the first Major Leaguer since 1900 to collect 11 extra-base hits in his first 10 career games. No other player has had more than nine.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 10, 2019
All those extra-base hits have led to a .366/.435/.878 line with five home runs, 15 RBI, and nine runs scored through his first 46 MLB plate appearances. Entering Thursday’s games, Alonso’s 230 wRC+ is the sixth-best mark in all of baseball.
The rookie’s strikeout rate (30.4%) is a bit elevated, but the Mets can deal with that when he combines it with a 25.9% line-drive rate, 48.1% fly-ball rate, and 59.3% hard-hit rate.
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