NY Mets: Pete Alonso as comfortable in the kitchen as on the field

NY Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is as good on the grill as he is on the diamond.

Pete Alonso burst upon the majors last season with a bang for the New York Mets. In winning the National League Rookie of the Year, he hit an MLB-leading 53 home runs, crossed the plate 103 times, and drove in 120 runs, while logging an OPS of .941.

As easy as he makes it look on the field, he is just as comfortable in the kitchen or on the grill.

Recently, he talked with The Players’ Tribune about his passion for food, and how his family background helped shape his love for cooking.

NY Mets star Pete Alonso thinks of cooking as an art.

Alonso shared how his two sets of grandparents had a significant influence on his life. His paternal grandparents instilled in him for a love of food and cooking while his maternal grandparents introduced him to a means to procure vittles through hunting and fishing.

He described his approach in the kitchen.

"I look at cooking and grilling as an art form, and food is my canvas. It’s another way to express myself, and my philosophy is that simple is better. I use simple ingredients and strategies…"

He shared his recipe for grilling venison and sweet onions with The Player’s Tribune, including his preferred spices for the meat and vegetables for sides.

What can the NY Mets expect from Pete Alonso in 2020?

On the rare occasions when rookies but up gargantuan numbers like Alonso did, it is hard to reasonably expect them to duplicate those in year two.

It is doubly hard to know what to expect given the state of affairs in the country today and with only a sixty-game schedule with which to work.

Last season, he started very fast, hitting 30 homers and batting .280 with a 1.006 OPS in the first half. July was especially unkind to the slugger, has he hit just .177.

If he can start quickly as he did in 2019, twenty homers are not out of the question. With all that is going on in the world, will he have the same level of concentration? Will he be affected by empty stadiums? Those questions exist for every player, but a fast start by Alonso could signal big things for the Mets.

With an ace at the top of the rotation in Jacob DeGrom, veteran leadership like Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie, and Michael Conforto, plus other young, exciting players like J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil, the Mets have the players to make a splash in 2020.

If Pete Alonso starts hot and this team gets rolling, watch out!

"New York Mets: Top ten sluggers in franchise history"

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