As currently constructed, the New York Mets are a top-five team in baseball.
They currently have the best record in the National League, even better than the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers, at 38-21, and have won six of their last 10 games despite dropping two straight.
One of the reasons they have been so good in 2022 is first baseman Pete Alonso.
The young slugger is well on his way to becoming a Mets legend when all is said and done, but he is not thinking about that at the moment: he is only concerned about hitting bombs and helping his team win.
Mets fans love him, and are, in fact, celebrating the anniversary of his arrival.
“6 years ago today, the Mets selected Pete Alonso with the 64th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft,” SNY Mets tweeted on Thursday.
6 years ago today, the Mets selected Pete Alonso with the 64th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. 🐻❄️ pic.twitter.com/bXJowzXnKe
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 9, 2022
It’s hard to believe MLB teams opted not to draft him for 63 selections.
He Has Had An Excellent Season So Far
Alonso is currently out of the lineup with a sore hand, after Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres plunked him with a 96-mph fastball on Tuesday.
X-rays have ruled out a fracture, but the “Polar Bear” is still sore and has some swelling.
It’s still not clear if he will be able to avoid the injured list, but in any case, he shouldn’t be out too much longer.
The Mets badly need his bat in the lineup.
As of Thursday afternoon, Alonso leads his team in home runs with 16 and has been extremely productive.
The man who once hit 53 home runs to establish a single-season rookie record in 2019 is currently slashing .282/.363/.546 with 38 runs and 54 RBI.
Barring any long-term injuries, he could have a shot at a Silver Slugger award and a personal-best in RBI and homers.
The Mets have been lucky to have him mashing in the middle of their lineup.
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