Future is now
Alonso may be a Met before long
WASHINGTON — It’s Peter Alonso.
The Nationals Park announcers, who flipped his names Sunday, may want to put that on the wall here, because it looks like the Mets’ top hitting prospect will be back sooner than later.
The 23-year old showed that his power can play in major league ballparks with one of the biggest home runs hit this season — by a big leaguer or a minor leaguer – in the All-Star Futures Game.
“I mean, just playing here, the Mets come here a lot, it’s a really fun and really cool park,” Alonso said. “I am just so happy I got to experience this and experience a NL East team (ballpark). It’s cool, an amazing environment.
“Hopefully I can do it with the big club when we play here.”
Alonso’s two-run shot in Team USA’s 9-6 win over the World, was a 415-foot shot over the left-field bleachers. According to Statcast, there has never been a major league home run with that velocity and height, a launch angle of 46 degrees, since they started tracking that data. According to MLB, Yoenis Cespedes is the only Met to have hit a home run harder this season.
“Oh my God, that felt, it felt like lightning bolt hit the tip of my bat,” said Alonso. “That was awesome.”
Not only could Alonso add some much-needed power to the Mets lineup, he could give a little fun to a team that is dragging. He admired the towering shot that was higher than the left-field foul pole, willing it to stay fair and then blowing kisses to his family in the stands as he rounded the bases.
“Absolutely, this was a fun stage,” Alonso said. “I am trying to soak it in. It was a special moment.”
Mets’ shortstop prospect Andres Gimenez went 0-for-2 and Yankees prospect Justus Sheffield allowed two runs in 1.1
innings pitched.
Alonso finished with just that one hit in two at-bats.
After a brief quiet period, Alonso is making noise again in Triple-A.
After crushing in Double-A and earning a promotion from Binghamton to Las Vegas, the big first baseman hit a wall. His batting average for the first month in Triple-A was an eyebrow-raising .190.
Following the Triple-A All-Star break, however, Alonso returned with a bang. He went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in the first game back and crushed a grand slam in his second.
“I think that a lot of people kind of have a misconception about Vegas,” Alonso said. “A lot of people think if you mishit a ball, or hit a pop up you will get a a home run. You still have to get it.”
And Alonso thinks his power will translate at the big league level.
“I feel like everyone that hits a lot of home runs in the minors, it’s going to translate better,” Alonso said. “Better backgrounds, better lights, easier environment to hit, better field conditions. Bunch of people in the stands, that goes into it too, you get a little adrenaline.”
In 65 games between Binghamton and Las Vegas, Alonso is hitting .289/.359/.524 with 63 RBI and 18 home runs.
While he said he hopes his homer made enough of a ruckus to catch the attention of the powers that be in Flushing, Alonso said he is trying to tune out what is happening with the big-league club.
“Mets Twitter, as you know, is a big thing, but I just think that for me I try to block everything out, because none of that has any sort of effect on me,” Alonso said. “I do want to be in the big leagues. Everyone here, everyone in the minors wants to be in the big leagues. It’s what we’re all working for. It’s a dream. It’s a goal.”
With the Mets expected to be dumping salaries and veterans after the break, Alonso could find that big-league door opening sooner than later. And after Sunday, no one has any doubt he can crush balls in the big leagues. Alonso certainly doesn’t.
“Nope, no doubt,” Alonso said. “Ever since I was a youngin’, I could hit a baseball a long ways.”