The New York Mets have been fueled by last season’s loss in the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers this year, and they have used that to propel themselves to the top of the standings once again. Pete Alonso has been a big reason for that, as the former home run derby champion has been one of the best bats in the league all season long.
Alonso has always been able to crush the baseball, but he’s doing it more efficiently this season and is now a more well-rounded hitter that the Mets can rely on in the middle of the lineup. Sometimes, players need to work on technical things to help them improve, but the majority of Alonso’s work has come upstairs.
This season, the slugger has been doing a lot more work game planning and studying how opposing pitchers may attack him. That is paying off in the way he has been playing, via Will Sammon of The Athletic.
“I’m just trying to look at everything I possibly can in-depth,” Alonso said, via Sammon. “And not just look at it. But really try to think and apply.
“It’s not like an idea — I have a great picture. Every day, the whole thing is, I’m going to paint a picture of what it is going to look like coming at the plate.”
The new approach is more than paying off for the two-time home run derby champion. He is currently leading the league in RBIs with 61 and ranks in the top 10 with 17 home runs. While those numbers have always been high, it’s the batting average that sticks out.
After hitting a dismal .217 back in 2023 and .240 in 2024, Alonso’s average is up to a stellar .301 through 66 games this season. While he is still producing plenty of runs and hitting for power, Carlos Mendoza and company can now depend on him to have strong at-bats and get on base consistently in a way he wasn’t before.
“It’s big time,” Alonso said of his new approach, via Sammon. “It’s been a tremendous help. Knowledge is power.”
Alonso’s increased production is a big reason why the Mets find themselves with a stellar 42-24 record, the best mark in the National League and just a half-game behind the Detroit Tigers for the top mark in the Major Leagues.
If the Polar Bear can keep this up, he and the Mets could be in store for more postseason success this fall.
The post Mets’ Pete Alonso details new ‘in-depth’ approach that has led to early 2025 success appeared first on ClutchPoints.
