WHAT A SENSATIONAL ROOKIE CAMPAIGN IT WAS FOR PETE ALONSO..BUT FOR HIM NOT TO REGRESS THIS UPCOMING SEASON. WE HAVE THE SOLUTION ….. MIYAGI DOJO KARATE.
“The one thing I CAN’T do is make you patient. Only you can do that. And I need to know you’re willing to work at that skill. If not, you need to find something else to do. “ Mr. Miyagi said to Young Daniel.
So, here is where I am going with this. Pete Alonso can handle the fastball. Will the MLB break out the juiced balls again? My opinion? I don’t think so. I can’t imagine MLB wants any more bad press following this Houston Astros fiasco.
The Mets are reliant on Pete’s offensive output. That’s no surprise. Alonso will be right in the middle of the lineup going forward. Alonso’s walk rate was just about league average at 10.4%. The strikeouts are what is concerning, as Alonso went down on strikes in more than a quarter of his 2019 at bats.
That’s important to mention, because as we stated, it’s a possibility the rabbit balls don’t return in 2020. Luckily, Alonso is a legitimate power source as evidenced by his .323 ISO in his rookie year. Balls may not fly over the fence at the same rate as last year, but if Alonso waits for his pitches, he’ll be sure to do damage.
Miyagi preached Patience to young Daniel. We are Doing The Same For Young Pete.
Do you remember the first thing we said? Scroll back up if you did. Pete Alonso can handle the fastball. In fact 34 of his 53 home runs were heaters.
Pitchers have taken note, and will continue to do so going forward. Alonso posted a .203 average on breaking balls in 2019 with a .418 slugging. Compare that to his .295 average with the .671 slugging against fastballs.
I feel ridiculous pointing out any of Pete’s struggles by the way. I mean, this man broke the MLB rookie home run record, becoming the first Met to lead the league in home runs since Howard Johnson nearly two decades ago.
Here’s the thing. Pete Alonso was not called up in 2018 because there were concerns about his defense. He worked tirelessly at his craft and forced his way into the lineup in 2019.
I don’t foresee any sophomore slump in Alonso’s future.
On the contrary.
I see Alonso becoming a lot more selective and establishing himself as one of the league’s most dangerous hitters.
Oh yeah. Miyagi does not have to teach Pete POWER.