No. 9: Pete Alonso – 2019 New York Mets
Pete Alonso made an immediate impact on the New York Mets in 2019 and quickly overtook the offensive stardom. The University of Florida product is most well known for the rookie home run record he broke. As mentioned before Aaron Judge broke the record in 2017 when he hit 52 home runs as a rookie. Two years later, Alonso came along and hit 53 home runs to rebreak the rookie season home run record.
During his historical run, Alonso hit .260, .583 slugging percentage, a 147+ OPS, and drove in 120 runs. Alonso also had 5.2 wins above replacement and was selected as an All-Star and finished seventh in MVP voting. The former second-round draft pick was 24-years-old in his rookie season and struck out quite frequently, but made it up with his power.
Alonso could have been higher up on my rookie performance rankings, but his WAR was the lowest besides Ohtani’s, and OPS+ was not all that impressive considering his power numbers. Pete Alonso had a down season in his sophomore season, but I fully expect Alonso to turn things around in his third year. The Mets will need him as the new ownership is looking to change the losing culture of the Mets in 2021.