Throughout the early stages of 2024, the Mets’ top position players each endured slumps.
Brandon Nimmo started the season 1-for-22. Francisco Lindor hit .098 through his first 12 games.
The latest is Pete Alonso, who entered Tuesday with one hit in his last 30 at-bats. He struck out nine times and drew five walks during that stretch, which spanned 10 games. The lone hit was a double.
Alonso received a brief rest in Monday’s three-game series opener in St. Louis, starting the game on the bench before entering as the first baseman in the sixth inning and lining out in the eighth. Monday’s 0-for-1 outing dropped Alonso’s season average to .205.
“He’s struggling, but it wasn’t easy to get him a day today, and that’s just who he is,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said before Monday’s 4-3 win against the Cardinals.
“Whether he’s feeling it, whether he’s not feeling himself at the plate, he still wants to be there, and that says a lot. He’ll continue to work, and he’s got to continue to grind through it and he’ll get to it.”
Alonso was back in the Mets’ starting lineup Tuesday, batting cleanup.
The 29-year-old Alonso jumped out to a hot start to 2024, slugging eight home runs through the first 26 games — a 50-homer pace over the course of a full 162-game season.
Now in his sixth MLB season, Alonso is the only player in Mets history with multiple 40-homer campaigns. He’s achieved the feat three times, including in 2023, when he hit 46. A career .249 hitter, Alonso batted .217 last season but also recorded 118 RBI, marking the third time he’s cleared 100.
Alonso’s 2024 season comes with additional attention considering the three-time All-Star is an impending free agent. He is represented by Scott Boras, the agent notorious for pursuing big-money contracts on the open market.
“My whole focus this year is to be the best I can be, be as locked in mentally and physically as possible to help this team win,” Alonso said during spring training. “That’s my job. We’ll see what happens in the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I’m fully committed to being the best player and best teammate I can be to help this team win.”
