Alonso proving he belongs with the big guys

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Other than a fundamental pursuit of forcing the Mets’ hand, Pete Alonso had a personal goal he set out to accomplish in Mets camp.

Alonso said it was his intention to feel like he belonged with the team this spring. Last year, the 24-year-old was starstruck by the Mets. Alonso was used to watching his teammates on TV instead of sharing a locker room with them.

“Being at my first spring training it was like, ‘Oh wow,’” Alonso said. “Now I’m coming in and it’s like, ‘These are my teammates and those are my opponents.’ It’s about ripping the name off the back of the jersey and thinking of them as baseball players.’”

Now, Alonso is that bigname player forcing Mets fans to pay attention.

The first baseman — vying for a spot on the 25-man roster — crushed his fourth home run of spring training in the Mets’ 10-5 loss to the Nationals on Sunday afternoon.

Alonso leads the Mets in home runs (four) and RBI (nine) and he’s second only to Robinson Cano in hits (17) over 16 Grapefruit League games. While his offensive numbers speak for themselves, the first baseman said he has enjoyed putting work in on defense.

“I’m extremely confident,” Alonso said. “I feel like I’ve done a 180 compared to 2017 to now. That was my dark year, so to speak, defensively … The improvements are continuing and I’m really happy with myself.” CAPTAIN WILL RETURN TO CAMP

Though his playing days are over, David Wright will return to Mets camp in a different role this spring. Wright arrived in Port St. Lucie on Sunday and is expected to set foot on Mets camp today as one of the team’s special advisers.

Wright will serve as a special assistant to COO Jeff Wilpon and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen after 14 years playing for the Mets. He played his final major-league game in an emotional farewell at Citi Field on September 29 last year. GOMEZ CLEARED TO PLAY

Carlos Gomez has been unable to compete in a Grapefruit League game until his work visa was approved. On Sunday, the visa was cleared and the Mets are waiting for final paperwork before penciling Gomez’s name in a lineup. The outfielder had been working out at the Mets’ facility in the meantime.