Pete Alonso has already set one record this year – and that might only be just the first one.
The first baseman has become the first player in New York Mets history to reach 10 home runs before May after hitting one over the fence Friday night in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants
In 21 games, Alonso is slashing .293 .376 .671 (batting average, on-base, and slugging percentage) with 23 RBIs.
The Mets sit just a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves for the lead in the NL East.
But in addition to the hot start, Alonso may have the potential to do much more for the Mets this year – assuming he stays healthy.
Currently, Alonso holds the Mets’ all-time club record for most home runs and runs batted in (RBI) for a single season.
He hit 53 home runs in 2019, which was the most ever by a rookie in league history and knocked in 131 runs in 2022.
That’s already an impressive resume for a 28-year-old and he is well on his way to becoming the best everyday player the Mets have ever had.
But now Alonso will look to chase some league-wide records.
While they will without a doubt be tough to chase, Alonso is red-hot at the plate and it’s at least worth talking about what the records are.
For RBIs, the National League record is 191, which was set by Hack Wilson in 191. That of course, seems astronomical for Alonso, who would need more than 60 RBIs than last year’s total to tie or set the new record.
For home runs, Barry Bonds is the record leader with the 73 he smashed in 2001.
So of course, Alonso has a ways to go and we probably need to see more from him in the coming months.
But say he has around 40 home runs by the time the all-star break comes – then we might be able to start seriously talking about him chasing the National League record more.
