Tom Brennan: TOO EARLY TO CALL UP PETER ALONSO?

Tom Brennan: TOO EARLY TO CALL UP PETER ALONSO?

Pounding Peter Alonso has pounded & punished AA pitchers for 2 months now.  

Tons of power, hitting well above .300.  

.337/.459/.624 in his first 52 games in 2018, in fact.

So...should he be called up now?

First of all, is he ready?  After all, he hasn't played that long.

I see 3 main criteria:

1) Age - he is only 23.  He's young, but not that young.

2) Playing time - he has played in 175 minor league games, compiling 640 at bats.  Not a lot.  But not a little.

3) Weaknesses in his game - fielding has been his Achilles heel, but he is fielding much better in 2018.  Also, he fans once every 5.4 plate appearances, good but likely to rise against superior major league pitching.  But not bad, either.

So let's respond by introducing for comparison the Nats' Juan Soto.

1) Age - he is four years younger than Peter, at 19.  (I was hoping when they drafted Dominic Smith out of HS, he might rocket up like Soto, but such has not been the case). Youth did not hold him back.  Because he is top notch.

2) Playing time - he's been up to the plate in the minors about 250 LESS times than Alonso.  But in 11 major league games in May, he is .333/.415/.500.  Major league good.

3)  Seemingly none.   His minor league K rate was one every eight at bats, and only 7 so far in the majors. Good enough.

So, it is working for the Nats.  But the Mets almost never rush guys, for a variety of reasons (fear, fear, and fear being the top 3 reasons).  

The last significant hitter they "rushed" was Michael Conforto. 

MC Hammer hit the big leagues after 520 minor league at bats; by then, he was not hitting quite as well as the Pounder, and with less power, too, though striking out a little less than Alonso has so far.  (I will guess: righty Peter has faced a much higher % of righties than lefty Conforto faced lefties, accounting for the slight K rate difference).

And, having so many righty pitcher at bats has Alonso MORE ready than Conforto was when called up to hit pitchers from both sides.

Conforto (.250/.354/.479 in just over 1,000 major league at bats, with 151 RBIs) has justified his early call up.

I think Peter Alonso should be called up ASAP.  In my mind, he could be the next Harmon Killebrew - you know, the guy who ended his career with 573 homers and 1,586 RBIs.

It would be hard to boot or bench Adrian Gonzalez to do it, though - after all, 142 at bats, Gonzalez's 6 HRs, 24 RBIs, and .261 is decent enough, if not the stuff that calls to mind Freddie Frickin' Freeman.

But any further Mets' slippage in the standings might warrant calling up Pounding Peter ASAP.  

If not already up by mid-July, and Peter keeps pounding as he has, I would promote him regardless, and let him start.  Let's say on July 24 at the latest.  Why then?

That is the day in 2015 that Michael Conforto was called up.  That's why.  

But the fan in me says: THE SOONER, THE BETTER.

P.S. 

Jeff McNeil is 7 for 12 in his last 3 games; let's be super-cautious, while "Jorrible Jose" Reyes is 10-71, with 3 RBIs after FIFTY SIX games.  

The bum is washed up - cut ties.  Who, other than the Mets,  26th in runs scored, keeps such mediocrity around?  

Bring up someone who can hit.  

They are SO smart at being SO cautious while a season goes up in flames. aren't they?

My guess is that Todd Frazier will return (after 4 times on base yesterday, he should be on a plane right now and reactivated today) and Jorrible Jose will finally go.  It will make me very "Jappy".  

Get Anthony Swarzak back here today too.

And send out search dogs for "hippy" Yoenis Cespedes.  He's used up all his sick days.