Pete Alonso’s return to Citi Field with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night brought more than just a familiar face back to Queens. It also drew a blunt verdict from one of the men who once ran the Mets.
Former general manager Sandy Alderson said on MLB Network that he was “disappointed” the Mets moved on from Alonso, and he didn’t soften his view.
“I was disappointed,” said Alderson, who served as Mets GM from 2011-18 and as team president from 2020-23. “Look, Pete Alonso was drafted by Tommy Tanous -- the scouting director at that time -- in the second round.
Basically a home run hitter who got on base. And that’s what he’s been since he came to the big leagues.
Let’s say his defense is not superb. Poor defense doesn’t outweigh the kind of homegrown, home run talent -- impact talent -- that Pete Alonso can provide.
“From my standpoint, if they let him go because of his defense, I think that was a mistake. If they let him go because they thought his power was gonna diminish over time?
Okay, that’s a guess. It might happen, it might not.
To me, the deciding factor is the guy is homegrown. He’s gonna set your home run record.
“Baseball is entertainment. It’s not ‘well, X’s and O’s, it doesn’t matter.’
No, it’s entertainment. And sometimes you have to take that factor into account, and Pete Alonso was part of the entertainment that Mets fans appreciated and supported.”
Alonso has continued producing for Baltimore, hitting .269 with 35 home runs and an American League-best 100 RBI while posting an .859 OPS.
The Mets, meanwhile, have pieced together first base this season with Jared Young and Mark Vientos. Those two have combined to hit .238 with 25 homers and 87 RBI, via StatMuse.
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