It was a big summer in the Big Apple for the New York Mets’ newest young star, and his eye-popping power numbers were rewarded on Monday after Pete Alonso was awarded the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Alonso was the biggest bright spot of the Mets’ disappointing 2019 campaign, smashing 53 home runs and driving in 120 runs in a campaign that finished as one of the best for a rookie in the history of the league.
The Florida native’s mark of 53 long balls is the new record for the most home runs hit in a season by a first-year player. He didn’t only hit for power, though, also posting a .260 average and a .358 on-base percentage that turned him into one of the best hitters in baseball in 2019.
Alonso beat out the Braves’ Mike Soroka and the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr., the other two finalists, to win the award. He was the near-unanimous winner of the award, receiving 29 first-place votes to Soroka’s one.
The affable “Polar Bear” is expected to continue to produce for the Mets in 2019 as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
