3) Pete Alonso
It’s fair if you haven’t flip-flopped on your Pete Alonso opinion at all. Just as within the rules is if his playoff performance has you thinking differently. As long as what Alonso has done this postseason has made you want him more and not less (you’ve got problems if you want him even less now), you’re in good company.
Alonso put together a below average year for himself. He’s proving to be a low average, high power guy. However, even the power and run production dipped. We already know the culprit. He just didn’t hit well with runners in scoring position.
Rather than throw out a bunch of numbers, let’s look at the accomplishments in the playoffs based on how it makes us feel. The Game 3 home run against the Milwaukee Brewers will live on forever. A power display against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Popping an early home run versus the Los Angeles Dodgers to get things started for the Mets in Game 5 added some gasoline on the fire to re-sign him.
The thing with Alonso is it probably didn’t matter what he did in the postseason at all to determine his future with the Mets. He has been around long enough for the Mets to know how much they’ll pay him. Fans don’t have to worry about actually paying his full salary nor do we have to live with the boneheaded self-loathing if he ends up fading halfway through the deal.
We get the luxury of living in the present. If Alonso hasn’t convinced you yet to return, he probably never will. If you are one of many now certain he should remain with the Mets, join the party.