3 Mets players who have earned our trust

Pete Alonso’s career is young but he has given us plenty of reasons to believe in him

The monster 2019 season Pete Alonso put together complete with 53 home runs may never happen again. That was a season where balls flew like no other. Not just anyone can hit that many home runs. You still need some sort of raw power. Alonso, during the past two seasons, has shown he possesses this tool.

An average of 46 home runs per 162 games after his first 370 in the big leagues should have us thinking positively about the Polar Bear. He may not always reach 40 as was the case in 2021 when he settled for 37. However, with a similar slash line when compared to his 2019 season aside from a dip in his slugging, there’s reason to believe Alonso will remain productive each year.

There are two notable differences to point out in regards to Alonso. He has become a better defender at first base which certainly helps the Mets in a way some didn’t think he ever could. The big knock against the big guy when he was in the minor leagues was the way he played the field. He has been above average in multiple defensive statistics in each of his two full seasons with only the shortened 2020 campaign reflecting his old reputation as a butcher.

Alonso has also cut down on his strikeouts. From an average of 26.4% per plate appearance in 2019 down to 19.9% in 2021, he’s putting the ball in play much more often. We’ll just have to hope a few more connect on the barrel and don’t result in double play groundouts.

One thing is for sure: Alonso will hit for power and drive in runs. He has my trust.