N.Y. Mets: Pete Alonso Joins The 50 Home Run Club

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

ONE RECORD LEFT TO BREAK FOR METS ROOKIE

WITH EIGHT GAMES LEFT TO GET IT DONE

Babe Ruth in 1920 becomes the first ever major league baseball player to hit 50 home runs in a season.  The former pitcher of the Boston Red Sox accomplishes the feat in his first season as a member of the New York Yankees.  The Babe ends the season hitting 54 home runs in 458 at-bats.  Of the nearly 20,000 people to ever play major league baseball Mets rookie first baseman Pete Alonso becomes only the 30th ever to join the 50 home run club, one century after Ruth first opened its doors.  The milestone home run comes in his 152nd game, and 560th at-bat of the season.

In their 58 year history Pete Alonso becomes the first ever New York Met to have his name listed among members of the 50 home run club.  He breaks Dave Kingman's club record for most home runs before the all-star game, then goes on to win the 2019 Home Run Derby.  Alonso continues onward to shatter with remarkable haste Darryl Strawberry's club record for most home runs in a season by a Mets rookie.  After which he breaks the National League record for home runs by a rookie set by L.A. Dodger Cody Bellinger.  Pete is presently in the midst of setting the Mets single-season home run record formerly shared by Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran.  On Friday he becomes only the second ever major league rookie to hit 50 home runs in a season.  Alonso now has eight games remaining in the season with which to tie and break Aaron Judge's MLB record of 52 home runs by a rookie.

• 2016 - slashes .321/.382/.587/.969, with 5 home runs and 21 RBI in 109 at-bats at BROOKLYN!
• 2018 - leads all minor leagues with 36 home runs and 119 RBI during split season at (AA)- Binghamton and (AAA)-Las Vegas.

METS 40 HOME RUN SEASONS

• 1996 - Todd Hundley (41)
• 1999 - Mike Piazza (40)
• 2006 - Carlos Beltran (41)
• 2019 - Pete Alonso - TBD

Pete Alonso (115) needs ten more RBI in order to break Mike Piazza's (124) club record.

Go Polar Bear!

#ROY

#LFGM

N.Y. Mets: Pete Alonso Ties Club Single-Season Home Run Mark

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

PETE ALONSO HITS 41st HOME RUN of SEASON

New York Mets Rookie First Baseman 

Ties Franchise Single Season Home Run Record

Pete Alonso - the half-man/half Polar Bear going around ripping jerseys from team mates bodies -  connects on his 41st home run of the season in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Braves; a prodigious blast into the black of straight away center field at Citi Field tying him for the Mets franchise single season home run record now shared with Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley.  Along with Mike Piazza, the four represent the only Mets to ever break the 40 home run barrier.

Hundley first accomplishes the feat in 1996 in 140 games and 486 official at-bats.  Ten season later, Carlos Beltran ties Hundley in 137 games and 500 at-bats.  P. Bear LLC joins the Mets 41-club in just his 128th major league game, and 465th ever MLB at-bat.  Said another way, no player in the history of Mets baseball has ever hit more homes in a season than Pete Alonso whom it "bears" reminding over and over is just a rookie.

• Alonso - slashing .266/.369/.593/.962; with 26 doubles; 41 home runs; 100 RBI; through 467 at-bats.  Also leads Mets with 77 runs scored and 277 total bases.

Alonso also reaches the century mark with his 100th run batted in.  It marks the 27th time a Mets player achieves the feat, but he becomes only the 15th ever Met player to do it.  If you're wondering, Mike Piazza in 1999 drives in his franchise record 124th run of the season in his 139th game and in his 528th official at-bat.  Alonso would need to drive in 25 runs within his next 63 at-bats in order to outpace Piazza.  Otherwise there's still a full week left in August and 33 games remaining overall in which to chase down Piazza's club record.  While that seems a bit improbable, he's done nothing but prove naysayers wrong all season long.

Why stop now?

#LFGM

N.Y. Mets: Pete Alonso Breaks National League Rookie Home Run Record

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NATIONAL LEAGUE

established 1876

The Polar Bear Hits Dinger Number Forty; Sets New National League Rookie Home Run Record.

... with eleven games still left to play in August!

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso hits his 40th home run of the season breaking the National League rookie record.  The milestone comes in his final at-bat of Sunday afternoon's 11-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in which Alonso goes 3 for 4 with a double, the aforementioned home run, three runs scored, and two runs batted in.

Previous record holder Cody Bellinger in 2017 hit 39 home runs through 132 games and 480 at-bats. Pete Alonso first ties the N.L. record in just his 120th game of the season through 511 plate appearances and 435 official at-bats.  He then breaks the record in just 122 games, and 443 official at-bats.

With the National League record in hand, Alonso becomes one of only three rookies to ever achieve 40 home runs in a season (Mark McGwire, Aaron Judge).  Alonso is now one home run away from tying the Mets all-time mark of 41 home runs shared by Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran.  After which come Aaron Judge.  The New York Yankees right fielder set the major league rookie record in the same season Bellinger set the National League mark with 52 home runs in 155 games with 678 plate appearances and 542 official at-bats.  Alonso needs 13 home runs in the next 38 games in order to surpass Judge.

• APRIL: Pete Alonso hits his first MLB home run in just his fourth game played; finishes month with eight.

• MAY: Hits ten home runs giving him 19 for the season.

• JUNE: Pete breaks the club's 36-year old club rookie record of 26 home runs set in 1983 by Darryl Strawberry.  Alonso's record breaking dinger comes in only his 77th game and 279th at-bat of the season.  Whereas Darryl Strawberry in 1983 played in 122 games with 420 at-bats.

• JULY: Pete Alonso breaks Darryl Strawberry's rookie record of 74 RBI.  Alonso's 30th home run ties him with Dave Kingman for most ever home runs before the All-Star break.  He then he goes on to win the All-Star Game home run derby.

• AUGUST: Homers in four consecutive games (Aug. 5-9).  Six home runs through 17 games this month.  Season high six RBI vs. Atlanta Braves (Aug. 15).  He is presently slugging .604 with a .979 OPS and 95 RBI.  He also becomes the fourth ever Met to achieve 40 home runs.

I've said this before.  We're talking about a rookie, and therefore I'm most impressed with his adaptability and ability to roll with adjustments being made against him.

Oh, yeah  ...

With Sunday's series clinching win at Kansas City, the Mets remain two games out of a wild card.

N.Y. Mets: Pete Alonso Ties Senior Circuit Rookie Home Run Record

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Pete Alonso w/ Binghamton ~ 2017 Road Trips

The greatest season known to mankind ever turned in by a Polar Bear this side of the arctic circle continues ...

• APRIL: Pete Alonso hits his first MLB home run in just his fourth game played; finishes month with eight.

• MAY: Hits ten more home runs giving him 18 for the season.

• JUNE: Pete breaks the clubs's 36-year old club rookie record of 26 home runs set in 1983 by Darryl Strawberry.  Alonso's record breaking dinger comes in only his 77th game and 279th at-bat of the season.  Whereas Darryl Strawberry in 1983 played in 122 games with 420 at-bats.

• JULY: Pete Alonso also breaks Darryl Strawberry's rookie record of 74 RBI.  Alonso's 30th home run then ties him with Dave Kingman for most ever home runs before the All-Star break.  He then he goes on to win the All-Star Game home run derby.

This past Thursday Pete Alonso tied L.A. Dodger Cody Bellinger's National League rookie record of 39 home runs set just two years ago.  Bellinger played 132 games during his milestone season tallying 548 plate appearances and 480 official at-bats.  Alonso ties the record in just his 120th game of the season through 511 plate appearances and 435 official at-bats to date.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge set the major league rookie record with 52 home runs in the same season Bellinger set the National League mark.  In 2017 Judge played 155 games in 2017 with 678 plate appearances and 542 official at-bats.  To date Alonso is slashing .264/.369/.595/.965, with 39 home runs and 91 RBI through 120 games and 512 plate appearances and 435 at-bats.

In the meantime, Alonso is just two home runs shy of tying the Mets all-time mark of 41 home runs shared by Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley ... the same exact number of games remaining in the Mets regular season.

• BaseballReference.com

N.Y. Mets ~ It's High Time To Upgrade Your Opinion of Josh Thole

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:  Behind Almost Every Great Pitching Performance, Lies a Good Receiver.  Even Though He Still Has a Ways to Go, Never the Less, It's Time To Up The Love On Josh Thole.


Something has been lost on the two most recent pitching exploits of New York Mets hurlers.  And that would be the return of Josh Thole.  It's time this man started receiving a bit more love from the fans, and the Media for that matter.  However, that's not to say he isn't generally liked already.  But many still take a tepid attitude when assessing him as a catcher.


Am I about to divert too much credit toward Josh Thole for Johan Santana's no-hitter, or R.A. Dickey's complete game win Saturday?  No.  But I will say, behind every no-hitter, there is a good receiver.  And what we do know about The Battery, is that the pitcher-catcher relationship is a symbiotic one.


Considering Friday's game was his first since suffering a concussion in early May, I'm thinking how difficult is it for a young catcher to go from receiving high octane, and change-ups all game on one night, from one of the titans of 21st century baseball, then go to catching butterflies the following afternoon against an uber-cerebral thirty-seven year old, alternative pitch specialist?  And mind you, he caught both games flawlessly.

I'm not getting into catcher ratings or anything like that.  To me, delving too deeply into statistical analysis is more akin to being a ancient Mayan heart specialist/slash/star reader.  Statistical analysis is not needed to recognize the vast improvement in his catching skills from last year to this season.  Let's not forget he was promoted, and I think we all agree, a season, or even a season and a half too early.  Perhaps this season should have been his major league debut.  But like a growing number of young Metsters, he too was pressed into service early.


Since his initial call-up, I have pledged my support for Josh Thole in this blog almost religiously.  So if you feel I am speaking to you through blind love, meh..., so be it.  I will also admit to you then, that I am partial to catchers.  Therefore, Jerry Grote, John Stearns, Todd Hundley, Mike Fitzgerald, and then Gary Carter, all exist as favorite backstops of mine.  The omission of Mike Piazza was not an accident by the way.  He is a horse of another stable; but an under-rated catcher for toughness behind the plate.


I did say before Opening Day, Josh Thole and Ruben Tejada, were at least going to be .290 hitters this season.  After going 0 for 4 in his return game Friday, Josh Thole was 2 for 4 in Saturday's game, with a run scored.  He is currently batting .281 this season, but of course this is only after eighty-nine at-bats this season.


So if that doesn't work for you, maybe this does.  Since his first call-up in 2009, through yesterday's game, he has played in 232 games, and has amassed 684 at-bats during his brief major league career.  Currently at ninety-one, he is yet to strikeout over 100 times as he approaches 700 at-bats.  As a matter of fact, as a September call-up in 2009, he went 2 for 5 in his first MLB game.


I love his attitude, his exuberance, his humbleness and humility.  But over all, I enjoy his self-awareness, which makes him work exceeding hard to prove he's a major league catcher.  I have no doubt he understands his craft through listening to him in the post-games.  The physical portion of his game is coming along more quickly now that last season.  He will turn twenty-six years old in the Fall, and there's more maturity starting to shine through his smile.  I think that was demonstrated through his composure during Johan's no-hitter.


With health, I AM expecting a fine summer from the Mets' receiver, and many more seasons to come.  All he wants to do is improve every day and with a tremendous enthusiasm to get it done.  There are no stats to qualify that.


If you really, really, need something to judge him by, I officially declare him Jersey Worthy.  But then again, I thought that long ago.  So just take that and run with it.



Let's Go Mets



*wiki pic

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Mets ~ My Favorite 50 Mets of All-Time

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:   My All-Time FAVORITE Fifty Players in Mets' History.


Last Thursday, as part of the Mets' 50th Anniversary celebration, SNY premiered the 50 Greatest Players in Mets History.  Their list is as follows:

1-Tom Seaver

2-Dwight Gooden

3-Keith Hernandez

4-Jerry Koosman

5-Darryl Strawberry

6-Mike Piazza   7-Carlos Beltran   8-David Wright   9-Jose Reyes

10-Gary Carter   11-Cleon Jones   12-Ron Darling   13-Edgardo Alfonzo

14-John Franco   15-Mookie Wilson   16-David Cone   17-Al Leiter

18-Jerry Grote   19-Howard Johnson   20-Buddy Harrelson   21-Tommy Agee

22-Rusty Staub   23-Sid Fernandez   24-Jon Matlack   25-Jesse Orosco

26-Tug McGraw   27-Lenny Dykstra   28-Johan Santana   29-John Olerud

30-Todd Hundley   31-Robin Ventura   32-Lee Mazzilli   33-Felix Millan

34-Kevin McReynolds   35-Carlos Delgado   36-Ed Kranepool   37-Bob Ojeda

38-Frank Viola   39-Dave Kingman   40-Ron Swaboda   41-John Stearns

42-Wally Backman   43-Rick Reed   44-Roger McDowell   45-Hubie Brooks

46-Ray Knight   47-Ron Hunt   48-John Milner   49-Bobby Bonilla

50-Wayne Garrett

I would omit a few names from this list and add others.  I would also tinker with the order of some players too.  But instead, I thought it more fun to just go with my own Favorites List.  This is harder than you think, because of the level of attachment one has with favorite Mets as a child, versus the more jaded affections we might develop as fully mature adults.

The Mets became a full time part of my life by the 1974-1975 seasons.  And the guys from that era will always mean a little more to me than say, other Mets of different eras.  For the purposes of this list, if I didn't see them play, they are omitted.  So right off the bat, exclude Donn Clendenon, Tommy Agee, Nolan Ryan, Ron Hunt, and the rest of the earlier era Mets.

MY All-Time 50 Most Favorite Mets

1-Jerry Koosman

2-Tug McGraw

3-Rusty Staub

4-Tom Seaver

5-Keith Hernandez

6-John Stearns   7-Darryl Strawberry   8-Joel Youngblood   9-Felix Millan

10-Doc Gooden   11-John Milner   12-Jose Reyes   13-Lenny Dykstra

14-Lee Mazzilli   15-Skip Lockwood   16-Gary Carter   17-Todd Hundley

18-David Wright   19-Hubie Brooks   20-Jerry Grote   21-Dave Kingman

22-Bud Harrelson   23-Carlos Delgado   24-Ron Darling   25-Mike Piazza

26-Mookie Wilson   27-Cleon Jones   28-Edgardo Alfonzo   29-Carlos Beltran

30-Sid Fernandez   31-Ed Kranepool   32-John Franco   33-Jon Matlack

34-John Olerud   35-David Cone   36-Eddie Murray   37-Neil Allen

38-Jesse Orosco   39-Lance Johnson   40-Roger McDowell   41-Bobby Ojeda

42-Cliff Floyd   43-Howard Johnson   44-Robin Ventura   45-Craig Swan

46-Wally Backman   47-Willie Montanez   48-Bobby Jones   49-Ed Lynch

50-Mike Fitzgerald

My newest favorite player = Josh Thole.

Let's Go Mets!

Mike.BTB