Underrated NY Mets prospect can be the Pete Alonso replacement we're waiting for

Replacing Pete Alonso has been a topic discussed by New York Mets fans for practically an entire trip around the sun. Upon signing with the Baltimore Orioles, David Stearns had to get to work finding an alternative.

Between the Jorge Polanco signing, move of Mark Vientos across the diamond, and paycheck issued to Bo Bichette, the Mets rebuilt the lineup in a completely different way. There was no lumbering right-handed slugger added to directly replace Alonso. That just wasn’t what Stearns desired.

What about meeting him somewhere in the middle? Homegrown, powerful, and an OBP machine, one Mets prospect is trending toward becoming a serious contender.

Mets prospect Corey Collins can ease the Pete Alonso absence

There isn’t a shortage of future first base options. Options don’t mean success. Ryan Clifford fell off a literal big red dog this season. Billy Amick feels like he could go in either direction with obvious power, but also a few of the same tendencies as Clifford to strike out in dozens.

Corey Collins, on the other hand, feels a little more grounded. A converted catcher in college who moved to the outfield and first base later on in his collegiate career, Collins has dabbled beyond the infield dirt yet seems most likely to settle in as a first baseman. The question is whether or not his bat can continue to grow to justify putting him at such a prominent offensive position.

Unranked but probably not for long, Collins was a sixth round pick by the Mets in 2024. He hit only .168 in his first full professional season in 2025. This year was much different.

After battling through a stint in Brooklyn, the left-handed hitting Collins managed to survive spending half of his time at a ballpark known for holding back lefty swingers. He hit .231/.391/.400 with 8 home runs and 33 RBI in 289 plate appearances. A promotion to Double-A worked out well for him. In his final 166 trips to the plate, Collins hit .250/.380/.522 with 10 home runs and 28 RBI. His 18 home runs and 61 RBI overall paired with a .238/.387/.446 slash line met a strong criteria for what we’d want from a future middle of the order hitter.

The only thing missing from Collins being a direct replacement for Alonso is he hits left-handed. That’s a concern for another day. For what it’s worth, he had an .826 OPS against lefties this year. It was only slightly better versus righties at .835.

Athletic enough to remain an outfielder in the pros, Collins should theoretically have more defensive skills than Alonso did early on. The Polar Bear worked his way into becoming a better defender even with his range and more so his ability to throw the ball never got much better. A different flavor offensively, the power and ability to draw a walk will be tough to ignore.

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