NY Mets slugger Pete Alonso is well on his way to another franchise first

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso won us over with his captivating 2019 performance which saw the rookie first baseman smash 53 home runs. It was the most of any Mets player and a new record for rookies.

The Polar Bear’s sophomore season was an abbreviated one due to the pandemic so we didn’t get to experience Alonso set any other franchise records. In 2021, he’ll get his shot and I think it’s practically automatic.

Pete Alonso is well on his way to becoming the first Mets player to hit 40+ home runs more than once

Before Alonso, even Mordechai “Three Finger” Brown could count the number of Mets players with 40+ home run seasons on one hand. Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley shared the record at 41. Mike Piazza, with 40 of them in 1999, was the third.

Alonso obliterated the franchise record in his first season. Capable of hitting 40 again this season, it feels inevitable that he will at some point go over the hill yet again.

Is Pete Alonso already the greatest slugger in Mets history?

Back in the pre-Polar Bear days, I published an article on Rising Apple about the greatest sluggers in Mets history. Little did I know, this list would become outdated pretty quickly.

Alonso’s rise to fame via the home run ball outdated the list. After just a season-plus of baseball, it’s safe to assume Alonso is well on his way to becoming the greatest slugger the Mets have ever had. In fact, I wouldn’t argue with anyone who says he’s not already there.

The Mets have had some prolific home run hitters over the years. Even though the old single-season record was shared by Beltran and Hundley, neither of them were what I would consider true sluggers. Darryl Strawberry, Dave Kingman, and Piazza felt more like true bashers. Alonso is in this kind of home run hitting class.

Alonso has a long way to go before he catches Strawberry for the franchise home run record. I don’t expect him to hit 50 every season. So unless he stays with the club post-arbitration years, it might be a challenge even with his skills at going yard.

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If I had to look into a crystal ball and make a prediction, I would say 200 home runs will come to him easily. Alonso has the kind of power no ballpark can contain. A 40 home run season shouldn’t be a challenge.