Pete Alonso

Mets give Pete Alonso a well-deserved, record-setting raise

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As it turns out, if you lead the league in home runs as a hitter, you ought to get a raise. It doesn’t matter that you are making near the MLB minimum. The New York Mets‘ slugger and starting first baseman Pete Alonso will receive the largest amount of money ever paid to a second-year player.

The Mets came to an agreement with Alonso this week on a $652,521 salary, a source told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. That is the largest amount of money in Major League history for a sophomore.

“For the Mets to make this happen, it’s incredible,” Alonso said to MLB.com. “I truly care about my teammates, my peers, the people I work with every day. And I care about the fans. I care about the city. So to be rewarded is fantastic, because for me, I give blood, sweat and tears to this organization. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

In a league in which, after a few years of playing time, even mediocre players can make millions, paying rookies and second-year players the right amount has long been an issue. However, the New York Mets rewarded Alonso’s dedication and excellent performance by paying him roughly $90,000 more than the league minimum.

Per the current system of MLB salaries, the first three years of service time, a player will make somewhere in the neighborhood of $563,000. That is the league minimum for the 2020 season.

Players have little negotiation leverage in those first three years. In the next three years, salary arbitration comes into play, and they have a shot to earn a significant payday. After those six years are up, next up is the open market.

The Mets and other agreements

The Mets also came to agreements with a bunch of players besides Alonso, most notably Jeff McNeil and Amed Rosario.

“I just feel extremely honored to be a part of this organization,” Alonso said. “I feel extremely blessed, because for me, this organization means the world to me. This truly feels like home.”

“I just feel really blessed right now having the [new contract],” Alonso said. “I feel really blessed with what I’ve been given. … If we don’t play well, if we don’t end up where we want to be because I’m worried about something else, then that’s just not productive for anybody. My mind’s focused. I’ve got blinders on. I’m just raring to go. I’m excited about 2020.”

New York Mets: Nimmo, Rosario Heat Up in 3-2 Loss to Astros

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The New York Mets took on the Houston Astros in West Palm Beach for their 13th game of the Spring. It was a tightly contested pitchers duel throughout as Michael Wacha took the mound in his third Spring outing.

Things started great for the Mets as Brandon Nimmo led off the game with a triple of Lance McCullers. It was one of his two hits on the day, which moved his average to an even .400. Pete Alonso drove him in with a groundout to immediately give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

Amed Rosario provided an encore in the second inning with his first triple of the Spring, which also led off the inning. He now has hits in back to back games after his hitless start. Eduardo Nunez played the role of Alonso to drive in Rosario in the following at-bat. Those would be the only two runs the Mets mustered all game.

Wacha’s Outing

Michael Wacha spent his outing tiptoeing out of trouble throughout. After retiring the first two in the first inning, he back to back singles before escaping the inning. In the second, Wacha worked around a Carlos Correa double to keep the Astros off the board.

The trouble was too much to escape in the third inning. A George Springer single and stolen base followed by a Josh Reddick walk to set up runners on first and second with no one out. Wacha retired the following two hitters and seemed poised to get out of a third straight jam. Unfortunately, Michael Brantley got to him for an RBI single, which would be all Wacha allowed.

Over three innings, he allowed five hits, one run, a walk, and struck out two batters. It was not a dominant outing by any means, but he battled throughout.

Following Wacha, all minor leaguers took the mound. Yelfy Ramirez took the loss by allowing a walk-off home run to Chas McCormick to lead off the bottom of the ninth. The big concern comes from the 2-3-4 combo of Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, and Wilson Ramos. They all went 0-for-11 with four strikeouts and only produced the Alonso RBI ground out.

Steven Matz takes the mound at Port St. Lucie on Saturday when he faces the Washington Nationals. It will be interesting to see how he follows up on the performances from Wacha and Rick Porcello.

New York Mets: Porcello, Fargas the Story in 7-7 Tie

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New York Mets, Rick Porcello

The New York Mets offense is starting to come together as the starting pitching continues to dominate. Despite some bullpen struggles, the Mets finished in a 7-7 tie with the St. Louis Cardinals in a back and forth game. Their offensive output over the last two games finally moved them out of the bottom spot in the runs scored category.

Rick Porcello continued his solid start to Spring Training. Over three innings, he allowed two hits, a walk and struck out four. Porcello lowered his ERA to 1.50 and is showing why he deserves to hold a spot in the Mets rotation.

Tyler Bashlor‘s outing was a nightmare at best. He only recorded two outs and allowed seven hits, six runs, and three home runs after Porcello left the game. The home runs were the pitfall for Bashlor in 2019, and he served them up in bunches on Thursday.

Spring Training Cycle

The little known prospect Johneshwy Fargas pulled off quite a feat by hitting for the cycle. He received a non-roster invite to Spring Training after stealing 50 bases in double-A. For a team with very little speed, Fargas gives the Mets a speed threat to throw in their outfield late in the season. Jarrett Parker and Patrick Mazeika also blasted home runs on a day where most of the regulars were on the bench.

Amed Rosario finally recorded his first hit of Spring Training after going 0-for-15 to start camp. Pete Alonso recorded two hits and now has a hit in five of his last six games as his bat is starting to come around. Robinson Cano and Dominic Smith both went hitless to drop their averages to .125 and .130, respectively.

The Mets head to West Palm Beach to face the Houston Astros for a rare night game. Michael Wacha makes his third start of the Spring against Lance McCullers, fresh off Tommy John Surgery.

New York Mets: Young Stars Showcase Personalities Against Cardinals

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

Wednesday’s game between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals featured more of the usual from Spring Training. A strong starting pitching performance and Jeff McNeil‘s continued dominance with the bat. The game was televised on ESPN and the Mets certainly had fun being mic’d up with each other.

Marcus Stroman took the mound and had a terrific outing. Over three innings, he only allowed three baserunners and struck out four Cardinals. Things started off rocky when he hit and walked the first two batters. After Rene Rivera threw out a base stealer for the first out, Stroman induced a double play to end the inning. Through the rest of his start, he showed how clever of a pitcher he is. Stroman used his incredible body control to vary his motion which threw off the hitter’s timing drastically.

Bats Waking Up

Jeff McNeil continued his red hot pace with two more hits to move to 10-for-18 (.556), the best mark in Spring Training. Brandon Nimmo chipped in another hit as the 1-2 combination of McNeil and Nimmo have proved to be deadly so far. Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, and Wilson Ramos all supplied hits as they are picking up the pace after short skids at the plate.

One of the best parts of the ESPN broadcast was their live microphones. They picked the right guys in Pete Alonso, J.D. Davis, Dom Smith, and Jeff McNeil. Alonso dropped an accidental f-bomb, Smith poked fun at Davis and could not hear anyone at one point, and all of them hyped up an Eduardo Nunez triple. It showed how close this group is and there is truly something special going on at Port St. Lucie.

Zamora Rises

Daniel Zamora has always been seen as a lefty specialist for the Mets, but his stock is rising. Through four outings so far he has only allowed one hit, walk and hit by pitch. Zamora even has five strikeouts and the most impressive part is his ability to put away hitters from both sides of the plate. Dellin Betances still is not a lock for Opening Day and Zamora is asserting himself as the top guy to replace him.

Rick Porcello takes the mound on Thursday when the Mets take on the Cardinals in Jupiter. Porcello has allowed one run over three innings so far in the Spring.

deGrom and Wacha Shine in Split Squad Outings

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The New York Mets starting pitching has been nothing short of elite through the first ten games of Spring Training. While the bats are still shaking the rust off, the pitching has exceeded expectations so far. In their split-squad games on Sunday, they beat the Nationals 3-1 and lost to the Marlins, 7-2.

Jacob deGrom picked up where he left off in 2019. The back to back Cy Young winner threw three scoreless innings, only allowing one hit and striking out two batters. He a majority of the Nationals everyday players and made it look easy to cruise through the lineup once.

Michael Wacha also pitched well against the Marlins. Over his three scoreless innings of work, he allowed a walk, two hits and struck out one. Wacha still firmly believes he is a starting pitcher, and his two Spring starts show he should be a starter.

Diaz Settles In

If you did not hear about Edwin Diaz’s outing, there were not any problems. He threw a scoreless fourth inning with the only blemish being a Ryan Zimmerman double. Justin Wilson followed by striking out the side in the fifth inning. He has retired all six batters he has faced, and four of them are on strikeouts.

Jeff McNeil continued to stay hot with two hits in the same amount of at-bats. His average is now .500 for the Spring. Michael Conforto homered for the first time and now has hits in three consecutive games after starting 1-for-8. Robinson Cano also added a two-run double to open up the Mets scoring in the first.

Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Pete Alonso lined a single to center field for his only hit in three at-bats. The concerns were only small for 2019’s home run champ, and the single took the stress off the Polar Bear. Eduardo Nunez has started the Spring hot, his two hits Sunday moved him to 5-for-15. Nunez was a non-roster invite but could easily steal a spot away from Luis Guillorme.

Amed Rosario continued his struggles at the plate. He went hitless in three at-bats and is hitless in all five of his games so far. Only two of the at-bats ended in strikeouts, which is a good sign for the young shortstop. As he settles in more, the hits should follow.

The Mets get a day off on Monday before welcoming in the Marlins to Port St. Lucie. Noah Syndergaard will make his second start of the Spring.

Matz Strong Outing Helps Give the New York Mets a Win

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All of Steven Matz’s Spring Training starts for the New York Mets will be watched with heavy scrutiny. Matz took the mound for his second start against the Houston Astros and pitched very well. The offense was quiet once again but the pitchers delivered in the seven innings following Matz.

For good reason, Matz sees himself as a starter and its proving why so far. Over two innings of work, he allowed one hit and struck out one. Another promising sign for Matz is the other five outs recorded all came on ground balls. Compared to Michael Wacha and Rick Porcello, Matz has the upper advantage as the calendar turns to March.

Polar Bear in Hibernation

Pete Alonso continued his slow start to Spring Training. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and dropped his average to .067 for the Spring. There is still plenty of time to get himself right but as each day passes the struggles grow more and more concerning.

Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto both mixed in hits and stolen bases in their efforts. The third stolen base came from Dominic Smith as the Mets continue to push their initiative of being more aggressive on the bases.

The minor leaguers got the job done to secure a victory. Will Toffey started the ninth-inning rally with a walk and it was followed by a Jake Hager double to tie the game. Max Moroff traded places with Hager to tie the game and steal the lead from the Astros.

The minor league relievers cost the Mets some games early in the Spring but they were dominant on Saturday. The six pitchers combined to pitch seven innings, allowing five hits, two walks, one run and struck out seven batters. Jordan Humphreys and Adonis Uceta combined for 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth to secure the win and save respectively.

Split Squad Sunday

Jacob deGrom makes his Spring debut at Port St. Lucie against the Washington Nationals. Michael Wacha makes his second start of the Spring against the Miami Marlins in Jupiter.

New York Mets: Porcello Improves in His Second Spring Start

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New York Mets, Rick Porcello

Despite the New York Mets dropping to the Miami Marlins 3-1, Rick Porcello looked a lot better during Thursday’s start. The other Mets big league relievers pitched well again while the depth pitchers struggled. The loss moved the Mets to 1-5 and the Marlins to 6-0.

Wins and losses are meaningless during the Spring. The situations for each team also differ for the Mets and Marlins as well. The Mets roster is mostly set for the regular season, while the Marlins have plenty of players trying to latch on to a roster spot. As long as the regulars are playing well, the Mets should not be worried.

Pitching Ups and Downs

Porcello threw up twos across the board. Two innings, two hits, two strikeouts. He worked in and out of trouble in the first inning then pitched a 1-2-3 in his second inning of work. Brad Brach and Robert Gsellman followed to pitch the third and fourth with success. Each threw perfect innings, and both have not allowed run in the Spring. Both Brach and Gsellman are key middle relief pitchers and could earn bigger spots if Edwin Diaz and Dellin Betances are holes in the bullpen.

The minor league depth crew of Corey Oswalt, Stephen Nogosek, and Nick Rumbelow all allowed runs during their outings. While no one from the trio was particularly bad, the minor leaguers who finish off the games have already cost the Mets some games early in the Spring.

Awaken the Polar Bear

Pete Alonso is still shaking the offseason rust but showed signs of life with his double in the first inning. He was hitless in nine at-bats heading into Thursday’s game. The baserunning still needed WD-40 as he was picked off second to conclude the inning.

Michael Conforto is another Met who is trying to find his hitting groove. He went 1-for-2 with a single to improve to 2-for-10 in the Spring.

On Friday, the Mets face Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals for the second time of the Spring. The Mets trot Marcus Stroman out for his second start and first in Port St. Lucie. Stroman allowed one run in 1.2 innings against the Cardinals to open up the Spring.

New York Mets: Pete Alonso wants what the Washington Nationals have

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On Monday, the New York Mets faced the Washington Nationals in a spring training game. The result? a 2-1 victory for the Queens squad. And while Pete Alonso was 0-3 in the contest, he thinks better things are in store for his team this season.

MLB.com’s Mike Lupica interviewed the “Polar Bear” about the past season and what the future may hold for him and the Mets.

“Not gonna lie,” Alonso said, “last year was pretty fun.” Of course it was fun: he was MLB’s home run king with 53 as a rookie, smashing Aaron Judge’s record for a newcomer by one.

When asked if he thinks he can improve in 2020, the hulking first baseman said “absolutely.” That’s a scary thought.

The reporter asked if he had any individual goals. He said he didn’t, but pointed at the Nationals clubhouse and stated: “I want what they have. I want us to win the last game in October. You want to know what my goal really is? That’s my goal. I want to do enough for this team that we get to be them this year.”

He carried the Mets’ offense

Jacob deGrom carried the New York Mets’ pitching. And, in the same way, Pete Alonso was THE man for the offense last season. They had one of the league’s best second-half records but they ultimately fell short of October. The 40-50 first half was just too much to overcome.

Alonso knows he can have better numbers in 2020. “Now, I just want to take everything to the next level,” he said. “I want to do that for myself and I want to do it for our team. Basically I want to make pitchers as uncomfortable this season as I did last season.”

It may be a far-fetched thought to assume he can improve upon a .260/.358/.583 line with 53 home runs, 120 RBI and a Mets-leading 143 wRC+. But if anyone can do it, is Alonso. In the minor leagues, he has batted as high as .321 (in 2016 in Class-A) and .314 (in 2018 at Double-A.) Between 2016 and 2018, his K% was below 20. It’s not crazy to think he could slash some of his 26.4 2019 K%.

The New York Mets Are Relaxed and Loose to Start Spring Training

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New York Mets, Noah Syndergaard, yankees

The entire New York Mets offseason leading up to Spring Training has been eventful. It is good to see things starting on a good note after hiring two separate managers and ownership change that never happened. The chiseled Noah Syndergaard has trademarked his shirtless workouts, but the Mets pulled a prank on him during Saturday’s stretching session.

They left Syndergaard as the only one with a shirt on, and he seemed to enjoy the prank. The Mets are starting spring on a good note while other teams in baseball are either dealing with or complaining about sign stealing. Syndergaard is one of the best follows on Twitter, and he did not disappoint in his response to the prank.

Just like for most teams, the matchup between the Astros and Mets will be fun to watch. The direct ties with Carlos Beltran, Jake Marisnick, and J.D. Davis should make it a highly anticipated matchup. Let us not forget Rick Porcello and Dellin Betances were on teams who lost to the Astros in the 2017 playoffs, along with Jed Lowrie and Robinson Cano, who were division rivals.

World Series of Bust For Pistol Pete

Pete Alonso’s 2019 season was one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time. After hitting 53 home runs, he does not have any statistical achievements to work for in 2020. His primary focus is bringing back a World Series championship back to Queens. Alonso expressed his dream in the way only Pete Alonso can.

The team to win a World Series is currently in place, and the team has not lost the mojo it carried through the end of 2019. Alonso is very nicely stepping into the leadership position David Wright vacated when he retired. Throughout all the drama of the offseason, it is not showing any effect on the 2020 Mets.

Projecting the New York Mets Everyday Lineup

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The 2020 New York Mets starting lineup comes in with plenty of potential, but one of their biggest questions will be defense. Their lineup contains plenty of power as well, which should make up for the lack of speed it holds. Here is what it should look like come Opening Day.

Catcher: Wilson Ramos

Wilson Ramos is an undervalued catcher coming into Spring Training. He came off a strong year at the plate, hitting .288/.351/.416 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs. Ramos defense is what held him back ranking in the bottom of most defensive metrics and only throwing out 15% of base stealers. Most of it was in part of the Mets inability to hold runners on, but the Mets should expect another strong year from the Buffalo.

First Base: Pete Alonso

There is nothing to say about Pete Alonso that everyone else has not said. He is coming off one of the best rookie seasons of all time and has emerged into a fan favorite. The home runs are likely to regress, but the real growth from Alonso will come in his walk and strikeout rates.

Second Base: Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano came in full of hype in his return to New York but struggled with injuries and his performance. Despite entering his age-37 season, his solid second half should give hope that he returns to All-Star form. Cano should keep his performance strong as he ages much like fellow Dominicans Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz.

Shortstop: Amed Rosario

Amed Rosario had a huge growth year in 2019. He set career highs in offensive stats across the board and improved defensively in the second half. Rosario’s walk rates and stealing ability still need to improve, but at age-24, he is trending in the right direction.

Third Base: Jeff McNeil

Jeff McNeil emerged as an All-Star outfielder but is likely to play a majority of third base. The position itself will be a revolving door early in the season, but once he should remain there every day as Luis Rojas settles on a consistent lineup. McNeil’s power emerged in 2019, which made him a very dangerous hitter due to his high ability to put the ball in play.

Left Field: J.D. Davis

Speaking of a revolving door, that is likely what the Mets outfield will be. J.D. Davis took the job in left field and ran with it to make Brodie Van Wagenen look like a genius for acquiring him. His defense is a significant issue, and any improvement can make him a real All-Star threat in the National League. The competition between Davis and Yoenis Cespedes should be exciting, especially if Cespedes shows he is fully healthy. The prediction is that Davis comes away with the job, but if Cespedes is in the 2015-16 form, then there is a real log jam there.

Center Field: Brandon Nimmo

Despite all the trade rumors, Brandon Nimmo has survived the offseason. His ability to get on base allows his flaws as a center fielder to go overlooked. Nimmo is still a serviceable center fielder, and with Jake Marisnick as a defensive replacement, it should help the Mets late in games.

Right Fielder: Michael Conforto

Michael Conforto has been the one consistent part of the Mets offseason. No drama or publicity and it translates to his play on the field. He has hit 25+ home runs in three straight seasons and has been someone the Mets count on to anchor the middle of the order. Conforto will see time in center field, but a majority of his time will be in right field.