Alonso uninterested in being full-time DH

ATLANTA — Pete Alonso is not tossing his hat into the ring if the designated hitter comes to the National League next season.

The first baseman believes he’s earned the opportunity to remain at his primary corner infield position for the Mets. The universal DH is expected to be included in MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement. The existing CBA expires on Dec. 1.

“Not at all,” Alonso said Friday at Truist Park when asked if he would be open to being the team’s fulltime DH. “I think I’m a really good first baseman with potential to win a Gold Glove. I think that I would be selling myself short to label myself as that. If I need to DH maybe one day, or if someone needs to rotate in, that’s fine.

“But I’m a first baseman. I don’t think I’ll ever think of myself as a DH. And I think that as I continue to progress, I’m going to be able — not just win one Gold Glove — but I feel like I’m going to win multiple in my career. This is only my third year, so I’m just going to keep getting better.”

Alonso, whose powerful bat has helped him record an 8.2 fWAR in three majorleague seasons, has a slightly above average 1 Defensive Runs Saved and a slightly below average -1 Ultimate Zone Rating in his career, per FanGraphs. It is true that Alonso’s hard work has improved his defense over the past few years, going from -6 Outs Above Average in 2019, to -5 OAA in 2020, to 1 OAA in 2021, per Statcast’s metrics. Alonso’s 1 OAA this season is ranked 13th in the league among qualified first basemen.