Alonso's bomb sinks Cards, and could the Mets produce their first NL MVP in 2022?
Pete Alonso continued his MVP caliber start to the season Thursday
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets came from behind to beat the Cardinals 7-6 on Thursday afternoon on the strength of a walk-off two run homer by Pete Alonso (Box)
New York received not so promising news on RHP Max Scherzer who was diagnosed with a moderate to high grade internal oblique strain (story)
Francisco Lindor reached base four times and scored three runs in the Mets’ win
Rookie RHP Colin Holderman earned his first Major League win
New York could have won the game in regulation, but 3B Eduardo Escobar misplayed a two out ground ball from Paul Goldschmidt that allowed the tying run to score
Jeff McNeil drove in three runs and made a pair of excellent defensive plays in left field
Chris Bassitt started for the Mets and allowed four runs on nine hits over 6.1 IP
The Mets are now 20-7 in games they score first and now have eight comeback wins on they year
The Mets recently signed RHP Trevor Cahill to a minor league deal (NY Post)
The Mets have scouted Frankie Montas and Tyler Mahle (Heyman)
Who’s Hot🔥
Pete Alonso’s ten home runs are tied with Colorado’s C.J. Cron for the NL lead, and he leads all Major Leaguers with 36 RBI - he hit his third career walk-off home run on Thursday
Before his 9th inning strikeout, Francisco Lindor had reached base in eight consecutive plate appearances
Jeff McNeil has driven in a run in six straight games
Today’s Game ☃️
Match-up: Mets (26-14) @ Rockies (18-19)
Where: Coors Field —Denver, CO
Starters: RHP Carlos Carrasco (3-1, 3.73 ERA) vs. RHP German Marquez (1-3, 6.16 ERA)
When: 8:40 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Could Pete Alonso be the first Mets’ MVP?📝
It’s no secret the Mets have been a team built predominately on pitching over the course of their 60 year history. From Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman to Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling, to more recently Matt Harvey and especially Jacob deGrom, the Mets have seen countless incredible starting pitchers call Queens home.
But the one individual award a Mets player has never won is an MVP, something that perhaps could be rectified later this calendar year.
Slugging superstar first baseman Pete Alonso is simply off to an eye opening offensive start in the first quarter of 2022. The 27-year-old is currently slashing .276/.353/.513 with 10 homers and 36 RBI, both of which lead the National League. His 162-game pace would land him with 40 home runs and 145 RBI—the latter of which would easily surpass the single season team record of 124 currently shared by David Wright and Mike Piazza.
But perhaps most important is Alonso has carried what has otherwise been a sluggish offense over the first 40 games of the year, yet his club has won more games than any team in the NL and currently leads their division by seven games.
That’s the true mark of an MVP.
Of course, the Mets are just 40 games into their season, and a lot can happen over the next 122. But as of now, there’s arguably been no more valuable piece to a club than Alonso.
What makes Alonso so special is not just his production. He is a very genuine person who loves baseball and loves playing for the Mets. He wants to be the one with a bat in his hands in the biggest moments in the game, and has worked hard on his defense while not being shy about his future Gold Glove aspirations.
His ability to rise to the occasion and lift the club in the manner he does (and did on Thursday) is an intangible not easily found in a professional athlete.
Alonso has become the obvious heartbeat of one of baseball’s best teams to-date in 2022, and nobody in the sport has more raw power (it’s debatable if the walk-off homer he hit yesterday has even landed yet).
What’s more, Alonso’s fourth campaign in the big leagues has been a bit of different as he’s become a more complete hitter. With defenses constantly shifting him to the pull side, he’s learned how to quickly adjust and consistently shoot the right side in key RBI situations. His approach has proven to be more refined in the process - he knows when it’s time to muscle up and look for a pitch to drive (as was the case in the 10th inning on Thursday) and when he should shorten up and go the other way.
36 RBI through 40 games is a demonstration of that growth and maturity.
And with all the hit batsman the Mets have had thus far—including himself in the head twice—Alonso has made it clear he’s all about the name on the front of the jersey and has shown a willingness to defend his teammates both on the field and off it.
In short, Alonso is everything and more New York could have hoped he’d be, and has eloquently taken the baton from Wright and become the unofficial captain of New York’s squad.
Can he keep this level of production up and earn himself some hardware?
Time will tell.
Down on the Farm 🌾
Johneshwy Fargas (OF, AAA Syracuse): 3-for-6, 2B, HR, RBI
Ronny Mauricio (INF, No. 3 Prospect, AA Bing): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
Khalil Lee (OF, No. 7 Prospect, A St. Lucie): 2-for-5, R
Box Scores: Triple-A Game 1 - Game 2 | Double-A | High-A | Single-A
Around the League 🚩
Following their loss to the Mets, the Cardinals announced they are promoting top prospects IF Nolan Gorman and LHP Matthew Liberatore to the Major Leagues
The Cubs reinstated Marcus Stroman from the COVID-19 injured list
Giancarlo Stanton stayed hot, homering again and driving in three in the Yankees loss to Baltimore
The Padres blanked Philadelphia 2-0 behind Yu Darvish. Robinson Cano drove in a run for San Diego
Former Met and New York native Joe Panik has retired (Heyman)
I’m sure this one was fun to write. I sure did enjoy reading it! Great post. Lets go Mets!