To baseball fans across the globe, Mets youngster Pete Alonso is a star first baseman playing in the biggest city in the world.
In reality, he is the most generous, kind, giving, and wholesome person you can imagine.
Before bursting onto the scene as a star big-leaguer, then as Peter Alonso, he had to deal with not being called up in September 2018 due to what then was viewed as service time manipulation but in the end turned out to be for no reason. When visiting Citi Field in September for some instructional camp and awards, Alonso got his real first taste of the New York media with a sit-down press conference and he aced it.
Here's Mets Minor League Player of the Year Peter Alonso discussing how he developed his prodigious power (36 homers this year): pic.twitter.com/mlo5msO7DJ
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 12, 2018
Alonso hit 36 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2018 before he mashed away in the Arizona Fall League.
Alonso had every right in the world to be upset about his continued presence in the minors but he already showed flashes of the professionalism that we know from him at a young age of 23. Alonso continued to field questions from reporters throughout the off-season and especially during the Winter Meetings when he met with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.
Alonso was given the opportunity to win the first base job in spring training. As history played out, Alonso crushed spring training 2019 by starting off with a home run in his first at-bat and continued to bat over .400 for the bulk of spring. He went on to hit 53 bombs and win many esteemed awards, including 2019 National League Rookie of The Year. He ended up meeting and creating friendships with many celebrities, including Jerry Seinfeld.
This is just a small capsule of what Pete Alonso is all about.
Alonso eventually made his MLB debut and raked form the start. There has been enough analysis in the past of his on-the-field accomplishments that speak for themselves.
Alonso also showed the utmost love and appreciation for the way the state of New York welcomed him and cheered him on; he showed his gratitude almost on a daily basis. He even showed some flashes of leadership that David Wright used to show. Through the good and bad, he was always available to the media and knew exactly what to say. He would stay optimistic during the tough days in May and June and always kept his teammates’ spirits high.
Alonso has received so much hype that after a big game in the summer during a postgame on-field interview with SNY’s Steve Gelbs, he created a tagline that every player has picked up and the fans have used: #LFGM.
#LFGM @Pete_Alonso20 pic.twitter.com/q7sdHbZwCg
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 6, 2019
Another gesture that was above and beyond by Alonso was how he had decided in advance what he was going to do if he won the Home Run Derby, which he did. Alonso pledged that he would donate 50 percent of his winnings in an even split to the Wounded Warriors Foundation and the Tunnels To Towers Foundation, both organizations that help the men and women who protect us on a daily basis. Alonso was a rookie on a small contract who could have used the $500K to boost his revenue. Instead, he pledged part of his salary to charities.
The last anecdote is that Pete bought custom cleats for all his teammates in memory of 9/11 and also arranged for first responder hats that were to be worn during batting practice and pre-game events. He then donated his cleats and other memorabilia to the 9/11 museum.
I said it on that night and I’ll say it again: Pete Alonso just gets it.
Mets fans are lucky to have him as a face of the franchise for years to come.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) October 1, 2019
Pete Alonso has shown that on the field, he is one of the premier players in all of baseball.
Off the field, he is extremely kind-hearted.
