4 years agoThe inconsistent season for New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso continued on Wednesday when he went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Mets' 8-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The game served as a perfect microcosm of Alonso's season. After striking out in his first three at-bats, Alonso hit a blistering double in the ninth inning that had a calculated 118.4 mph exit velocity. It was the hardest hit ball in the majors this season and the hardest-hit ball by a Mets player ever tracked by MLB Statcast (since it began tracking in 2015). On Tuesday, Alonso went 2-for-3 with a homer and drove in three runs. Since that game, Alonso is 1-for-8. On the season, Alonso owns a .210 batting average with 13 HR and 30 RBI. It's been a frustrating season in which Alonso has been unable to hit with any consistency despite an overall barrel rate of 11.7% and launch angle, strikeout, hard hit, and walk rates which are similar to his 2019 metrics when he hit 52 HR with 120 RBI. As the season comes to an end managers are encouraged to keep Alonso active given his potential for a breakout game coming with no warning. It will be interesting to see whether Alonso's ADP heading into 2021 drafts takes a significant hit given his disappointing 2020. The underlying metrics suggest his floor is higher than his current numbers and he may be a draft-day steal depending on how far his draft stock has declined.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com