First baseman Pete Alonso smashed a rookie-record 53 home runs, clicked with a city and its fans well beyond simply blasting moonshots, coined a slogan or two and perhaps inspired a comedy genius to reboot a classic sitcom.
Oh, and the 24-year-old also infused the Mets’ clubhouse with a sincere, caring spirit, mauled the club’s record book, made the All-Star Game, won the Home Run Derby, showed the scouting community he had been underestimated, bolstered his defense at first base and became the “Polar Bear.”
What a first season for Alonso, the unanimous selection as the Baseball America Rookie of the Year.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better rookie year,” Alonso said. “This is a fantasy come true.”
The reality, though, took hard work, scouting, player development, and the guts to make a difficult decision. First-year Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen could have kept Alonso at Triple-A in April to retain an extra year of contractual control in 2025, but instead, he carried Alonso on the Opening Day roster when it was obvious he had won the first base job in spring training.
The rest is Mets—and now baseball—history. “Pete had an extraordinary season,” Van Wagenen said. “More importantly, he demonstrated tremendous worth ethic and rare leadership qualities for a young player. He genuinely prioritized winning games over his historic personal pursuits. He was a big part of our team’s success in 2019 and he is part of a talented core that will impact the Mets for years to come.”
Alonso, who turns 25 in December, started the season ranked as the No. 48 prospect in baseball, a power hitter with a perhaps suspect glove. But he led the major leagues in home runs, finished third with 348 total bases, tied for third with 85 extra-base hits and was fourth with 120 RBIs.
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Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
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