Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is Sporting News' 2019 NL Rookie of the Year, as selected by a panel of 155 NL players. SN has given out Rookie of the Year awards since 1946.
The questions about Pete Alonso kept coming during his first MLB season, from February through September:
"Will he get a real shot at making the Opening Day roster, or will the Mets manipulate his service time? No way he can keep mashing like this, right? How will he handle it when opponents adjust? Is he really an All-Star? No way he can beat Vladdy Jr. in the Home Run Derby, right? Will the Derby win mess up his swing? Is Tatis the better rookie? When will he hit the 'Rookie Wall'? He's not stopping, is he? How many dingers WILL he hit?"
Alonso's responses formed the basis for a historic campaign. That's why a panel of his fellow National League players overwhelmingly made him Sporting News' 2019 NL Rookie of the Year. Alonso received 136 of 155 votes cast. Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds finished second with six votes.
RIVERA: MLB's future bright with brilliant youngsters like Alonso, Tatis
Alonso wasn't just popular among his peers, either: The 6-3, 245-pound "Polar Bear" became a fan favorite in Flushing with his huge personality (think "LFGM" and shredded jerseys after walkoff wins) and affection for his adopted home city.
Of course, he also gained tons of admirers while setting the franchise record and MLB rookie record with 53 home runs in 161 games. He was four off the Mets' RBI record with 120. He tied teammate Jeff McNeil for fifth in the league with a 143 wRC+, and his 4.8 fWAR led all NL rookies.
The goodwill toward Alonso soared in September after the Tampa native arranged for the entire Mets team to wear special cleats on Sept. 11 in honor of 9/11 victims. He went the shoe route after learning he couldn't wear a commemorative cap during the game because of MLB's longtime ban.
"Living here, just kind of interacting with everybody, I've tried to immerse myself in . . . the New York living, and I see kind of traces of it every single day," Alonso told reporters, "little bits and pieces of it, and I just want to show recognition to all the people who are just heroes, just ordinary people that just felt a sense of urgency and an admirable call of duty. This is for all those people who lost their lives and all those people that did so much to help."
Alonso donated the cleats and bat he used that night to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Oct 1.
The Mets were competing for a wild card berth in mid-September and had Citi Field rocking again after two-plus years of relative quiet, but Alonso was struggling at the plate. As New York slowly faded from contention, he rediscovered his power stroke. Alonso socked six homers over the final two weeks, including the one against Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz on Sept. 28 that eclipsed the rookie mark set two years prior by Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
BIG PETE.
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) September 29, 2019
53. pic.twitter.com/2EBdvICPg3
In three years' time, Alonso has gone from Mets second-round draft pick out of the University of Florida to prospect who hit his way onto the roster in spring training to franchise cornerstone at 24. His outsize debut has put him on track to becoming a big man in the big city for a long time.
He will have lots of opportunities to take on this question: "Will he ever top his rookie season?"
Previous Mets rookies to be honored by Sporting News include Jerry Koosman (1968), Jon Matlack (1972), Darryl Strawberry (1983), Dwight Gooden (1984) and Jacob deGrom (2014).
*****
VOTING RESULTS
Pete Alonso, Mets: 136
Bryan Reynolds, Pirates: 6
Mike Soroka, Braves: 5
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres: 5
Others: 3