Pete Alonso named NL Rookie of the Month for September

One day after the New York Mets played their final game in 2019, Pete Alonso was named the National League Rookie of the Month for September. It was the third time he earned the honor in his first season in the majors, becoming the first Mets player to win the award three times. The last Met to win the award was Steven Matz in 2016, with Jacob deGrom taking home the honor twice in the 2014 season.

Alonso hit .245/.322/.545 with a 131 wRC+ in 27 games. His 11 September home runs were the most he hit in any single month. In the process, the first baseman set the single-season rookie record with 53 home runs, surpassing Aaron Judge’s previous mark from 2017. He became the first Met to hit 50 home runs in a season after setting the new franchise mark at the end of August. He was the only major leaguer to hit 50 homers in 2019.

Alonso also won the award in April, when he posted a .292/.382/.642 slash line with nine home runs and a 164 wRC+, and in June, when he slashed .307/.435/.653 with nine home runs and a 184 wRC+. He also reached double-digit home runs during the month of May. He finished his memorable rookie season hitting .260/.358/.583 with a .323 ISO and a 143 wRC+ while scoring 103 runs and driving in 120 runs in 161 games. Alonso is the heavy favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.