3 Mets players who will be better in 2024, 2 who will be worse

Pete Alonso will step up amid rumors and contract talks

Pete Alonso had a down year in 2023 even though it was still one of the more productive campaigns he put together. The second most home runs of his career and third most RBI helped keep him as one of the most relevant power hitters in the game. Possibly rushing back too quickly from a hand injury in the summer cost him some points in the batting average and OBP department. Who really cares when a guy is ripping 46 home runs and driving in 118?

Alonso’s advanced batting numbers profile why things didn’t go his way. The exit velocity was at a career-low 89.5 mph. Naturally, the hard hit percentage followed at another low of 40.1%. A career low in line drive percentage and high in fly balls explains why he was still able to hit a lot of home runs and yet not find too many other hits.

The Polar Bear also saw his strikeout rate go up against, but not at the level of his first two seasons. It’s not much of a concern.

Amid the upcoming rumors of a possible trade and/or free agency, Alonso will have a ton of pressure on his shoulders to be worth every prospect or penny. Does he go the Michael Conforto route and slump or follow in Aaron Judge’s footsteps and put together a historic season?

Alonso had only one month last year where he hit over .230—the first month of the season. Now a lifetime .251 hitter, the .217 he batted last year is still far too low and not what we should anticipate from him in 2024. The pressure of trying to carry the team might’ve been a partial cause as to why he rushed himself back to the field and the poor results that followed. Always able to hit for power and find ways to drive in runs, we can count on him to have an objectively better overall season, too.