
A trip to the postseason and a souvenir hit
This is unquestionably the most important prediction for Alonso. While his first season in the majors was impressive my any measurement, it was missing one glaring accomplishment: a trip to the postseason. After a hard-fought year, the Mets tragically finished as the best National League team on the outside of the postseason.
General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen has made no secret of the fact that his team is in “win-now” mode. The Mets still have prime Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard in the rotation. They also retained 2019 trade deadline acquisition Marcus Stroman to bolster their starting staff.
Alonso will join Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, and the team’s other hitters as they try to earn their first playoff appearance since their heartbreaking Wild Card loss to the San Francisco Giants in 2016.
Make no mistake: the NL East is loaded with contenders in the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets’ win projections for the 2020 season are also all over the map. While some sites predict the team to finish as high as second in the National League, others have them finishing in the middle of their own division. Personally, I predict that the Mets will do just enough to edge out the competition and earn one of the two wildcard spots.
Even in a one-game opportunity, you know Alonso will be ready when he gets his first taste of postseason baseball.
Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!
What predictions do you have for Alonso this season?