Pete Alonso didn’t climb up the Mets’ dwelling run leaderboard on expertise alone.
Previous all of Alonso’s record-setting homers and tape-measure blasts are hours of preparation behind the scenes, which is what supervisor Carlos Mendoza says stands out most in regards to the Mets’ All-Star first baseman.
“He’s watching film 24/7,” Mendoza mentioned. “We might be on a flight and also you stroll by his seat, and he’s obtained his iPad, his pocket book, and he’s watching the entire pitching workers from the crew that we’re about to face.
“That says a lot. It could be after an 0-for-4 game or a tough loss, and he’s on the plane and it’s the same routine.”
Mendoza’s feedback got here on Tuesday afternoon, lower than 24 hours after Alonso hit the 251st dwelling run of his profession to maneuver inside one in all Darryl Strawberry’s franchise report.
Alonso already owned most of the Mets’ different dwelling run milestones, together with the single-season report of 53, which he set in 2019. He’s the one participant in franchise historical past with a number of seasons of no less than 40 homers, a feat he’s achieved thrice.
“Sometimes, we’ve got to tell him to back off a little bit, because he’s taking 1,000 swings in the cages,” mentioned Mendoza, who’s in his second season because the Mets’ supervisor.
“He’s hitting early. It’s pretty impressive to see a guy of that caliber continue to put so much [into it]. Obviously, there are expectations, but it says a lot for the other guys, too, when you’ve got a guy performing the way that he is, and look at him.”
Initially the Mets’ 2016 second-round choose, Alonso is in his seventh MLB season.
He handed David Wright (242) on the Mets’ all-time dwelling run checklist in June and struck the 250th dwelling run of his profession on Saturday.
“The record is obviously something that is really special, and it’s meaningful, but right now in the heat of it, I’m not too focused on that,” Alonso, 30, mentioned after Saturday’s sport.
“I’m just focused on wins and what I can help this team do to win in each game,” he mentioned. “We’re in the thick of a playoff race right now. I’ll think of all the other stuff in the offseason or whenever I have time to.”
Mendoza backed up that evaluation, saying Alonso has remained the “same guy.”
“Maybe [it’s] in the back of his mind, but he’s not showing anything,” Mendoza mentioned. “He’s not talking about it. It’s all about winning for him. ‘What can I do today to help the team win a baseball game?’ He’s about his preparation and taking care of today. But I haven’t seen anything. Being around him, talking to him, that hasn’t even come up.”
MULLING MULLINS
Lefty-swinging Cedric Mullins was not within the Mets’ lineup on Tuesday evening with left-hander Logan Allen beginning for the Cleveland Guardians.
However that doesn’t imply Mullins is in a platoon with righty-hitting Tyrone Taylor, who obtained the beginning Tuesday in middle subject.
“Cedric will play against lefties, too,” Mendoza mentioned.
“Looking at this guy’s splits and pitch shape and all that, I thought today was a good day for [Taylor].”
The Mets acquired Mullins, a 2021 All-Star, from the Baltimore Orioles earlier than final week’s commerce deadline. He has really carried out much better in opposition to left-handers this season, posting an .847, in comparison with .678 in opposition to righties.
However Mendoza needs to proceed to seek out alternatives for Taylor, too. Allen has pitched to pretty even splits this season however is traditionally more durable on left-handed batters.
Mendoza included three lefty hitters in Tuesday’s lineup: Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil.
Mullins entered Tuesday with one hit in 15 at-bats with the Mets.
ON THE FARM
Brandon Sproat continues to show heads at Triple-A Syracuse, going 2-0 with an 0.67 ERA over 5 begins in July.
Similar goes for Nolan McLean, who entered Tuesday’s sport with a 3.01 ERA over 14 appearances, together with 11 begins, at Triple-A.
However the Mets aren’t fairly prepared to advertise the 24-year-old right-handers, each of whom rank inside the group’s prime 5 prospects, in accordance with MLB Pipeline.
“It’s always a combination of when, developmentally, those guys are ready, and also when there’s the need and how to fit it on the roster,” president of baseball operations David Stearns mentioned this week.
“We may get to the point where we decide that it’s the best thing to do to bring one or both of them here, but we’re not at that point quite yet.”
Coming into Tuesday, the Mets’ beginning rotation had pitched to a 4.51 ERA and was averaging 4.7 innings per begin for the reason that starting of July.
One other prized pitching prospect, Jonah Tong, delivered his newest sturdy outing on Tuesday afternoon, hurling 5 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in opposition to the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, Somerset.
Tong, 22, is 8-4 with a 1.58 ERA in 19 begins with Double-A Binghamton.
Initially Printed: August 5, 2025 at 6:10 PM EDT
