Pete Alonso hit arguably the most thrilling, most important home run in the history of the New York Mets. That was last October, with his team staring at elimination in the playoffs. On Sunday, he hit two more homers, surpassing David Wright to take sole possession of second place on the all-time franchise list.
The home run last October against the Brewers in a winner-take-all postseason game (in the ninth inning) came in what could have been Alonso’s last plate appearance as a Met. Who knows if the Mets would have resigned The Polar Bear last offseason if he hadn’t popped that pitch the other way with one out in the ninth to turn a two-run deficit into a one-run lead?
But resign he did, and Alonso is back in the blue-and-orange of the Mets in 2025. And he’s raking. The big slugger has produced at a 990 OPS with 17 home runs and a league-best 61 RBI through June 8. Of the important bats in the Met lineup, now featuring Juan Soto, Alonso has been the most consistent and effective. He leads the league in doubles (on pace for 50+ doubles). Next month he’ll almost certainly become an All-Star in his fourth straight season, and fifth as a Met.
Alonso is the Greatest Met First Baseman Ever
Does that make Pete Alonso the greatest first baseman in the history of the Mets? Yes, it does.
Alonso is nine home runs behind Darryl Strawberry for the all-time franchise leader. He ranks seventh in total bases, and fourth in RBI. He will pass Mike Piazza in that latter category soon. By the end of 2025, it’s likely that only Wright and Strawberry will rank ahead of Alonso in RBI for this franchise.
Much had been made of the third base problem the Mets had for decades until Wright came along to fill that hole. But surprisingly, the franchise has also had many lean years from its’ first basemen.
Here are the all-time leaders in games played by first basemen for the New York Mets:
Ed Kranepool … 1,304
Keith Hernandez … 854
Pete Alonso … 848
Lucas Duda … 472
John Olerud … 463
Carlos Delgado … 458
Ike Davis … 433
Dave Magadan … 417
Todd Zeile … 367
John Milner … 366
Dave Kingman … 340
Eddie Murray … 308
Yes, Lucas Duda. Only three men have played more games at first base in a Mets’ uniform than LUCAS DUDA.
The all-time gamer, the all-time “attaboy” goes to Ed Kranepool, a serviceable ballplayer who became sort of the team mascot and spent 18 seasons with the franchise (the first 18 years of team history). Kranepool was an All-Star in 1965, but that was basically because someone had to represent the team. He wasn’t a terrible player: 98 OPS in more than 1,800 games. But he was a stone-handed fielder and a platoon player who could hit right-handers ok, but never scared any opposing hurler.
Most Mets fans will pick Keith Hernandez as the greatest first baseman in franchise history. That’s reasonable: he was a key member of the famous 1986 team; and he won a bevy of Gold Gloves; then there’s his supposed team leadership. He’s also become a (mostly) beloved television broadcaster for the team.
But, Alonso’s power numbers are hard to ignore. His slugging and on-base percentage, adjusted for era and ballpark, are better than Keith’s as a Met. Alonso also has five postseason home runs and an OPS in excess of 1000.
Alonso has three 4-WAR seasons, and seems on his way to a fourth. Hernandez had four as a Met. If the Mets invite Alonso back following his current one-year contract, it seems possible he could move himself past Strawberry and into second place in franchise history in Wins Above Replacement for position players. The all-time leader is Wright at 49 WAR.
