New York Mets top prospect Pete Alonso has been making headlines and stealing the hearts of Mets fans with his play on the field. After a huge 2018 season in the minor leagues, Alonso enjoyed himself a phenomenal big league camp.
Over 21 games, he hit .368/.394/.647 with a 1.041 OPS, four home runs, and five doubles. He impressed enough that GM Brodie Van Wagenen ignored the potential extra year of service time, and Alonso made the big league roster out of camp.
Although, Alonso’s power isn’t the only thing capturing the fandom of baseball fans everywhere. The youngster is also an extremely classy guy off the field. Numerous times while I was down at camp a couple of weeks ago, Alonso was a man of the people, and extremely personable with the fans.
He not only walked over and signed for fans multiple times throughout the week, but also thanked them for sticking around to watch the workouts. Seeing the 24-year old carry himself this way all week was incredible. Though, there was one moment in particular that stood out to me the most.
One Friday afternoon in PSL Alonso, utility man Jeff McNeil, and infielder Dilson Herrera were putting on a show, hitting some monstrous home runs during batting practice. After they finished their rounds, Alonso walked over to fans looking on by there fence. As I mentioned above, Alonso not only signed for every single fan who stuck around but also thanked them for their support.
There was this one lady who approached Alonso. She asked him to sign a baseball for her son who is currently in the Navy, and was about to be deployed. So of course Alonso took the ball from her. Upon realizing it was a dirty baseball, Pete went over and grabbed her a new, clean Major League ball from the bucket. He then ran back and signed both baseballs for her. Pete also thanked her for her son’s service, and for everything he does for our country.
There are certain athletes who just get it. They understand that they are more than just athletes, and they do more than play a game. They can make an impact on one’s life i the simplest ways possible, but it’s the little things they do that stand out the most.
Pete’s making his big league debut later this afternoon against the Washington Nationals. He may be just be a rookie, but Pete Alonso is certainly one of those guys who just gets it. He reminded me a little of recently retired Mets captain David Wright! It really was incredible seeing such a young ballplayer carry himself in such a tremendous way. Keep up the good work, and good luck with the Mets this year Pete.
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