In his first three games in the big leagues, Pete Alonso acquitted himself rather nicely over the course of Opening Day and this weekend. Facing starting pitchers Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin, Alonso put up a .500/.571/.750 line with a 217 wRC+ in 14 plate appearances.
On top of the impressive performance at the plate, Alonso looked good at first base, successfully stretching for some semi-errant throws to convert them into outs. And it certainly didn’t hurt that Alonso came off well by consistently telling the media that he was super happy and grateful to be on the Opening Day roster and playing at baseball’s highest level.
Three games and fourteen plate appearances don’t make a career by any means. But to see Alonso hit as well as he did without even hitting a home run yet was encouraging. Three of his six hits were doubles, and he walked twice while striking out only three times. Things could change over the coming days, weeks, and months, as they often do in baseball. But for now, it’s worth smiling about a good start to a major league career from someone who could drastically help the Mets’ chances this year if he ends up being an above-average hitter among first basemen.