Pete Alonso Is Impossible

It's silly to pretend that the Polar Bear's rise to stardom is at all ordinary, and as the Mets' first baseman shoots for a third straight Home Run Derby crown tonight, enjoy the show - and the ride

By Roger Cormier

Writers claim it's difficult to write about Shohei Ohtani or Jacob deGrom, because they are so good at baseballing, there's really no context for it. What scribes really mean is they will look silly and fanboyish if they try. I'm going to go ahead and write about Pete Alonso, because I am fearless.

I had the opportunity to talk to Pete in 2018. At the time, he was raking in Double-A under the nom de baton Peter Alonso, and the big league Mets were historically inept on offense. My podcast partner asked him if he’d noticed teams pitching him more cautiously than they had earlier in the season, before he proved he can hit their strikes into next week. 

"But you can tell discreetly that there is some adjustment going on right?"

"Oh absolutely. I mean, I wouldn’t want to pitch to me."

"That is awesome to hear."

"I’m not saying that to come off as cocky or anything. Like, I would do the same thing."

I wouldn't want to pitch to me.