NY Mets slugger looks ready to make us forget all about Pete Alonso

Replacing a franchise cornerstone is the sort of task that usually comes with a warning label. Power hitters like Pete Alonso do not exactly grow on trees, and when one leaves (pun intended), the natural assumption is that the lineup will feel a little quieter for a while. The New York Mets understood that reality when the winter closed the book on Alonso’s time in Queens, leaving fans to wonder where those thunderous swings might be replaced.

Spring training, however, has a funny way of changing the conversation. Sometimes it takes just a few loud swings to remind everyone that baseball rarely follows the neat script people expect. For the Mets, those reminders have been coming from a familiar young slugger who looks stronger, more confident, and very capable of making people forget that the lineup once revolved around Alonso’s bat.

Mets slugger Francisco Alvarez could replace Pete Alonso’s lost production

The biggest thing the Mets need is not one player replacing Pete Alonso by himself. That is not realistic for anyone stepping into a lineup. What they do need is someone to help bridge the production gap. Francisco Alvarez has the kind of power potential that can do exactly that if he stays healthy and turns this spring into something that carries into the regular season.

Everyone already knows what Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor will bring to the table. Those two have long track records and usually hit to the back of their baseball cards. Alvarez is the player with the wider range of outcomes. The last two seasons were interrupted by injuries, and the production dropped with them, which is why this spring has grabbed attention so quickly.

The version Mets fans are hoping to see again is the one from 2023. In that season, Alvarez hit 25 home runs with 63 RBI in 382 at-bats. That is the kind of output that made people believe he could become a real middle-of-the-order weapon. The last two years looked much different, as he hit 11 home runs in both seasons with 47 RBI in 2024 and 32 in 2025.

That is what makes the early spring numbers worth watching, even with the sample size staying small. Alvarez made changes to his swing and approach, and the first returns have been encouraging. He is 6 for 11 this spring with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. Nobody is handing out awards in March, but it is still better than a cold bat and a long list of shrug emojis.

If the healthy version of Alvarez shows up with this new approach, the Mets may finally get back the hitter they thought they had when he was the No. 1-ranked prospect in baseball in 2022. He does not need to become Alonso. He just needs to get back on a 25-homer pace and push toward 70-plus RBI. That kind of jump would help bridge a very real gap in the lineup.