PORT ST. LUCIE — Pete Alonso was lastly in a position to get a preview of what it’s wish to play significant baseball in October. But nobody was extra devastated than the Mets’ first baseman after the San Diego Padres eradicated them in an NL wild card spherical collection final fall. So when USA Baseball requested him about taking part in within the World Baseball Classic, Alonso noticed it as a helpful alternative to realize beneficial expertise taking part in in necessary video games.
“You’re just replacing games in St. Lucie with games in Arizona on an international stage,” Alonso stated Wednesday at Clover Field. “For me to have the ability to play these significant baseball video games, I really feel like it is going to turn out to be useful afterward in October and, hopefully, November as a result of for me I’ve solely performed in three Major League playoff video games.
“Hopefully, those like high-intensity type games can give me experience so I can really just help the team win and advance and win a championship.”
Alonso performs the sport with a mixture of childlike enthusiasm and real skilled ardour. The probability to play with a few of the finest American-born gamers and in opposition to a few of the world’s finest gamers with nationwide pleasure on the road was too good to move up. Sure, the possibility for harm is all the time there and it’s greater than in a extra managed spring coaching atmosphere, however the expertise of taking part in in high-pressure conditions outweighs the dangers for Alonso.
The 2019 NL Rookie of the Year, a two-time All-Star and a two-time Home Run Derby winner, it’s clear that Alonso loves the large stage that New York City gives him, which ought to bode nicely for worldwide competitors.
Last season, he put up career-high numbers in hits (162), RBI (131) and common (.271). He quietly put collectively a season worthy of MVP votes, coming in eighth in voting. The 28-year-old homegrown slugger was rewarded with a one-year, $14.5 million contract, a report for a primary baseman in his second arbitration yr.
The focus then shifted to his subsequent contract. Given the development of groups locking up younger, arbitration-eligible gamers, it appeared as if he was in line for an extension. When second baseman and 2022 NL batting champ Jeff McNeil acquired a four-year, $50 million contract late final month, it put some warmth on the dialog about Alonso’s personal future with the crew.
“I’m super, super happy for Jeff. He’s a great, great player and he deserved his contract,” Alonso stated. “But personally, I just don’t feel comfortable talking about any contractual stuff.”
The one factor he did clarify is that he has no need to be in one other uniform anytime quickly. Now in his fifth season, he expects to be the cleanup hitter once more and understands that tasks come together with hitting in that spot. Alonso loves to steer on the sphere and off and hopes that that is the yr he lastly helps lead the Mets to a championship.
“I just know that I’m a New York Met in 2023,” he stated. “I’m just really happy and fortunate to be here. I love the city, I love the fan base and I love being here. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and honestly, any speculation or anything in the future? I don’t know. But I love it here.”
Having been by way of free company twice himself, Alonso’s teammate Max Scherzer stated he would advise him to prioritize successful over cash.
“When you walk through those doors, make sure you know what you’re here for,” Scherzer stated. “Are you here for the contract or are you here to win? And if you’re here to win, trust me, the contract will happen.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com