Minor League Mondays: Peter Alonso Could Be The Solution to New York Mets’ First Base Problem

The New York Mets have certainly had their issues at first base this season. Adrian Gonzalez got off to a hot start, but a slump has limited him to a .231 batting average with three homers and 17 RBI’s. The Mets envisioned a platoon between Gonzalez and Wilmer Flores, but Flores is hitting only .213 on the season and hasn’t hit against lefties, going 5 for 29 against southpaws on the season. The lack of production has left the Mets searching for answers, with some wondering when Dominic Smith will get another chance at the big league level. While Smith is off to a solid start, the Mets have another first base prospect who is making a push for playing time. That man is Binghamton Rumble Ponies’ first baseman Peter Alonso, and he is the focus of this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.

Alonso, the Mets’ second round pick in 2016 out of the University of Florida, has done nothing but mash in the minor leagues. This season has been particularly impressive for Alonso, who is batting .370 with eight homers and 23 RBI’s over his first 26 games. Alonso has also posted a ridiculous .482 on base percentage, showcasing his incredible eye at the plate. While offense has never been a problem for Alonso going back to his days as a Gator, the Mets needed him to show off some defensive improvement. Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post notes that Alonso spent a lot of time in the Instructional League last year to work on his defense, and the hard work appears to have paid off. After committing 19 errors in 83 games a year ago, Alonso has only two through 22 games in 2018.

Alonso’s tremendous performance earned him the Eastern League’s Player of the Month Award for April. Ordinarily, a hot start like that would all but guarantee a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, but the Mets already have Smith playing first base for the 51’s. Alonso doesn’t have the speed or range to play another position, like Smith, so until the Mets make a change at the big league level the two of them are likely stuck at their respective levels so they can get regular at bats. That change could come soon, especially if Gonzalez continues to underwhelm and Jay Bruce doesn’t take to more regular playing time at first base. Alonso could be a candidate to go the Michael Conforto route, jumping from AA to the majors, or he could advance to Triple-A if the Mets give Smith another shot at the job. Either way, we should be hearing a lot more from Alonso in the coming months.