By now, most of the readers of this site are familiar with Peter Alonso and most of us are pretty excited about his potential (at least with the bat) to solve the "right handed power hitting first baseman" riddle that has existed for a few seasons. One of the writers actually went so far as to name Pete, THE POUNDER which is an awesome and appropriate nick name.
However, as with most things in life, there is a small down side that comes with with his prodigious power potential and that is a bit of a shaky glove in the field. Granted, by all accounts, he has worked incredibly hard on his defense and it may become less of an issue as he moves forward in his career. But, it is still an issue at this juncture and you will likely have to accept some miscues in exchange for game changing power.
That basic description reminded me of another player that has since retired, but more then made up for his glove by terrorizing opposing pitchers for close to fifteen years. Before I name this comparable player, let's review his statistics as a way of seeing what Peter Alonso COULD become.
Mystery Player #1
Enjoyed a fifteen year career with the same National League ball club that spanned most of the 1990's and a good portion of the early 2000's, so he was durable AND he had to play the field. In that time period, he produced just shy of 80 WAR (79.9 to be exact, which is a bit over 5 WAR per year), along with a Rookie of the Year award (1991) and an MVP award (1994).
Even though he was listed at 6-0 and 195 pounds (a bit light, I am sure), his hulking presence as a right handed power hitter at the plate was unsettling to the opposing hurler. Despite his size and offensive gifts, he was a bit substandard in the field (despite a Gold Glove that he secured in 1994, which was a banner year for sure). He produced -7.2 dWAR for his career, along with a fielding percentage of .993% and 129 errors (which computes to approximately 9 errors per year).
An "average" offensive season for this player was as follows;
.297/.408/.540 (.948 OPS)
34 HR/115 RBI/15 SB and 114 RS
That is one hell of a year by any measure and it more then compensates for any defensive shortcomings, doesn't it?
OK, so by now you may or may not know who the listed mystery player is, so I will let the cat out of the proverbial bag by telling you that it is none other then Jeff Bagwell who played his entire career for the Houston Astros. Yes, the same Astros who now play in the American League, but not during his tenure.
So, if you are Peter Alonso, would you take a career something close to what Jeff Bagwell produced? The Astros were pretty good for the bulk of his career, so his occasional miscue in the field was more then made up for with his insane power bat.
As a fan, would you sign up for a long career of The Pounder manning first base for our favorite club, if he replicated Jeff Bagwell's statistics?
Before we close this article, here are Peter Alonso's statistics so far, which encompasses three seasons of games, but really only two full seasons of statistics if we go by plate appearances.
Peter started in 2016 with Brooklyn, before progressing through St Lucie and Binghamton, before ending in Las Vegas so he is a fast riser to say the least. Minor league statistics are a bit less expressive, but here is an average Peter Alonso season so far;
.290/.381/.560 (.940 OPS)
30 HR/102 RBI/2 SB and 82 RS
***He also has a .985% Fielding Percentage and 28 Errors to date, but this past year was MUCH better then his first two seasons, so there are signs of progression.
***Peter is also a bit slower then Jeff Bagwell was, at least if you use stolen bases and runs scored as a measure of speed. But, Peter is also 6-3 and 245 pounds, so he gets some slack from me, at least.
The statistics, tempered by the fact that they are from the minor leagues, are very promising and are not that far removed from what Jeff Bagwell was capable of producing year in and year out.
I am pretty stoked about this coming season and one of the biggest reasons is the potential break out of The Pounder!
I'll go the other way and say that his ceiling might be Dave Kingman. I'd take that in a heartbeat if it mean hitting 35+ HRs and 90+ RBIs like clockwork.
ReplyDeletePeter flashed the "speed" in the AFL season that just concluded, going 4 for 4 on steals.
ReplyDeleteAnd Pete's fielding % in 20 games at 1B in the AFL? 1.000.
That zero error total is so impressive, after 19 errors in 83 games at 1B in 2017. Hard work pays off.
And, including the AFL this year, just 9 errors at 1B in 130 games. So much better than 2017. Cut his error rate by 2/3.
Not to totally belabor it, but as 2018 wore on, he had 79 games at 1B after being promoted from AA, and just 3 errors.
His rap as a bad fielder, one could well conclude, may be old news.
His 146 ribbies in 159 games this year? Priceless.
We have a bunch of eggs to fill the dozen.
ReplyDeleteI've come around.
I'll take Peter at first through 2025
I am still hopeful that our infield for the foreseeable future will include Pete, Jeff, Andres and Amed. All homegrown, young and cost controlled.....frees up some cash for other needs (BULLPEN, maybe).
ReplyDeleteRobinson Cano?
ReplyDeleteAgain, 36-37 in 2019 and at a huge contract.
Okay, Let's take a tad closer look here for a moment. Robinson Cano is basketball's equivalent of Carmelo Anthony. Right? Do you see the connection being made, or should I explain further?
No to Cano. Jeff Mcneil is very good on second and likes to play second. he hits unbelievably well and was a very big part of the 2018 NY Mets second half. Leave it alone.
Todd Frazier
ReplyDeleteCan he even be traded might be a good place to start here. I saw nothing with Todd worth writing home about. He has power but is selective with it, you might say. He plays an adequate third base, sometimes a notch better even. But then a hard ground ball to third can eat him up there too.
My real issue with Todd has always been his consistency. He plays well but when he wants to in other words and seldom hits for a high average. Why the Mets even got Todd is beyond me. He used to be a homerun smasher but those days have left the building along with Elvis.
I see no "extra effort" nor "real visceral hunger" in his entire game now. I believe that could actually change for the better, but will not believe it until I see it. It's up to Todd.
To me already long established MLB players (over 30 years old) are the very ones a smart team should fear the most getting stuck with. Some can still play hard, but to me they really are the exception.
If me, I might go after one of Boston's third basemen because they have three really good and young ones there right now. Dalbec, Chavis, and the incumbent Devers. Pick one. Each one (or all three) could become soon legit stud third basemen. Smart GM's build a dynasty not a one year passing.