Why Mets Star Player Is Irreplaceable

As the season goes on, one can see clearly that there has been one player who has stood out. Pete Alonso has been the heartbeat of the New York Met’s team since he debuted in 2019. Here’s why even with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, Alonso is irreplaceable.

Mets’ First Baseman Pete Alonso Is Irreplaceable 

Since When Was A First Baseman Good at Baserunning Anyway?

Let’s be honest, not many first basemen are actually good baserunners. Sure, many players aren’t horrible, but too much blame falls on Alonso in this category. Many say that Alonso was one of the worst baserunners in the MLB in 2024. However, Alonso shouldn’t be understood in such a way. Such descriptions of Alonso make the slugger look much worse than the actually is.

Overall, there is too much of an emphasis on this largely unimportant stat. Regardless of the fact that Alonso’s baserunning has got the Mets in ugly positions, he can make up for it with his bat.

Pete Alonso’s 2025 Will Prove Why He Is Irreplaceable

Back in 2019, Alonso hit 53 homers and broke Aaron Judge’s record for the most home runs ever in a rookie season. Then, in 2020, Alonso still showed tremendous power and hit 16 home runs in 57 games. However, in 2021, Alonso’s production fell, as he hit just 37 home runs with a .260 average. However, things changed for the better, he hit 40 home runs with 131 RBIS (!). In 2023, Alonso’s season was still great, as he hit 46 home runs with 118 RBIs.

In 2024, many began to doubt, however. Alonso hit just 34 home runs with just 88 RBIs, both career lows. Alonso would even struggle in free agency, as for several months the star slugger wasn’t even signed by the Mets. However, much of the worry and doubt is starting to disappear largely.

As of April 12th, Alonso is hitting .378 with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs. The star moments include a grand slam, a game-tying 3-run homer, a game-winning single, a bases-clearing double, and more. Alonso is so far looking better than Soto and Lindor. Alonso even caused Soto to give him a great compliment, as Soto said: “First of all, to have the chance to do more damage and stuff. But whenever they don’t want to pitch me, I know I have a guy behind me that could make it even worse for them.”

Such a compliment a compares Alonso to having Judge batting behind him. Don’t forget, only Judge has been better than Alonso since 2019.

The Other Options Aren’t Good Enough

Other options to replace Alonso aren’t very interesting. Josh Naylor, Paul Goldschmidt, and Munetaka Murakami highlight the list of players that good replace Alonso. However, Naylor seems to be getting bigger every year while his production doesn’t quite match Alonso’s. Goldschmidt is too old and not even close to being as good as Alonso. Meanwhile, Murakami, who is good and a good player to get, would work better as a DH if New York ever got him and the Mets shouldn’t use him as a replacement for Alonso.

The polar bear is just too good to be replaced. The production seems to be there. Meanwhile, 2025 seems to be a season that Alonso can break out. Just the way he is going seems to indicate that he is in line for an MVP-like season. Overall, Alonso is too irreplaceable. His great start to the season shows this. The Mets should try hard to keep Alonso in New York.