Pete Alonso takes note of the good and bad for Mets
Pete Alonso of the Mets strikes out to end the eighth inning against Atlanta at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Where do these Mets find confidence during the current crisis? The back of their baseball cards can provide some solace. Or the resumes that detail last year’s impressive march to the NLCS.
For Pete Alonso, it’s an old-school notebook, the one he uses to diligently scribble personal observations immediately after each game, regardless of the outcome. Sometimes, when reporters enter the clubhouse, you can see Alonso with the cover flipped open on the nearby ping-pong table while he’s dutifully jotting down some of his plate highlights — or missteps, which may be an even more important learning tool.
The Mets had dropped 10 of 11, including five straight to Atlanta, before Wednesday night’s game at Citi Field. But moving on is never as simple as just flushing the failures, which is why this trouble-shooting process has been so crucial to Alonso throughout his career, dating back to his college days at the University of Florida.
“There’s a reason for everything,” Alonso said Wednesday afternoon. “And I want to be able to turn the page in a positive way, in a more directive way, the next day. Every day, there’s a purpose and direction. I guess the one thing people don’t understand is that it’s not like, ‘I’m just going to see ball, hit ball and just whack it and things are going to be OK.’ No — there’s a reason for success and there’s a reason for failures.”
Alonso was speaking about his personal method of dealing with the roller-coaster ride of a six-month, 162-game season. But that also applies to how the Mets were attempting to remedy their worst malaise since the pre-turnaround darkness of last season.
Carlos Mendoza, as a rookie manager, had to navigate through a nightmare 0-5 start as well as being 11 games under .500 as late as Memorial Day weekend, so this current funk is not a new experience. To him, consistency is key when it comes to attitude and preparation, so having Alonso and a solid veteran core is the surest way to salvation.
“You’ve got to be steady,” Mendoza said Wednesday. “You’re making sure that you’re doing everything you can to try to out there and execute. It sucks going through (the losing), but when you’ve got a leadership group in that locker room the way we have it, they’ve been through it before and they found a way to get through to the other side. And we will here. When you’re facing storms, you have to be authentic. You’ve just got to be yourself.”
Lately, that’s been part of the problem for the Mets. Not enough are performing like themselves. Since June 13, when this 1-10 plunge began, the Mets were hitting .211 with a 25.2% strikeout rate that was the sixth highest in the majors during that span and a .633 OPS that ranked 24rd overall. Eleven of their 34 runs were scored in the only victory, last Saturday’s blowout in Philly, when the Mets also hit seven of their 15 homers for this stretch. Remove that rout, and they’re averaging 2.3 runs over the other 10 games.
“You wear this,” president of baseball ops David Stearns said, “but you also have the perspective and history to understand that most teams — even really talented teams — have rough stretches over the course of the year. It’s our job to keep moving forward and get out of this stretch as productively as we can.”
Alonso knows the drill, and his devotion to the routine is what helps keep him stable during the most turbulent periods. Personally, he’s endured his share, and it’s happening again. Through his first 36 games, Alonso was slugging like an MVP candidate, batting .349 with nine homers, 33 RBIs and a 1.143 OPS. Over the last 44, he’s leveled off considerably, hitting .238 with a .751 OPS, but still supplied nine homers and 31 RBIs.
Not surprisingly, as the Mets have wobbled, Alonso’s been unable to be that stabilizing force in the cleanup spot, batting .209 (9-for-43) and going deep just once with one RBI over the 11-game nosedive. He’s also had 18 strikeouts with a .563 OPS. Good or bad, this all goes in the notebook, with the expectation it can all change with one big swing. For both him and the Mets.
“I would say this is a very self-aware group,” Alonso said. “There’s a fine line between analyzing things and then going too far off the deep end, and you go down the rabbit hole. Overthinking, over-talking about it, and then it all becomes useless. You’ve got to find that sweet spot of analyzing — OK, this is what I need, this is what I got, I’m going to make the adjustment and I’m going to put the work in.”
As Alonso was talking, a smiling Francisco Lindor walked by, extending his arm for a fist pump from the Polar Bear. Lindor, the team’s de facto captain, is struggling himself with unsettling numbers as a leadoff hitter during this slide, batting .205 (9-for-44) with a .271 on-base percentage. He’s scored five runs in these 11 games.
The law of averages figures to eventually swing back in the Mets’ favor. This is the same team that had MLB’s best record before going into a free fall on June 13, and Alonso is doing everything possible to help get them back there.
“The only constant in baseball is change and unpredictability,” Alonso said. “So you have to prepare, and for me, I don’t leave any stone unturned.”
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
