ATLANTA — Pete Alonso is among the few Mets who falls into the “slam dunk” category for a return next season.
But as he prepares to conclude a third straight season without a playoff appearance since arriving in the major leagues, Alonso is willing to accept a measure of responsibility for the team’s 2021 shortcomings.
“There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered, and for me personally I want to be able to get the team over the edge,” Alonso said before the Mets’ 4-3 win over the Braves. “I want to be one of those cornerstone guys that’s on the field dog-piling and champagne showering at Citi Field. I want to be that, and personally, I have been consistent, but there’s so many different areas I can improve on and get better and I think for me I want to keep going up.”
Alonso, who entered play with a team-leading 37 home runs, cited his defense, baserunning and plate discipline as areas in which he would like to improve.
Pete Alonso Getty Images“Defensively, I feel like I have gotten better,” he said. “I still need to get better at it even though I feel I have had a significantly better year. Running the bases, I feel I have gotten better, striking out less, I feel I have gotten better. Putting the ball in play hard more consistently has gotten better, but it’s not enough right now. I just need to keep finding higher levels and try to be the best version of myself as a player and as a leader.”
Michael Conforto, Javier Baez, Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis are among the position players whose futures Mets brass will have to decide this winter. Alonso said he doesn’t see any reason changes are necessary.
“Thankfully, that’s not my job to decide or figure out,” he said. “But I know we do have the potential with the people in that locker room to win a championship. I know that. If you look on paper, our roster before this year is absolutely stacked. Now we have an addition of Javy Baez and Noah [Syndergaard] is finally back healthy, which is awesome, and Jake [deGrom] is going to have a great offseason and be healthy for next year, so absolutely — I think we can win a championship. It’s just a matter of getting the most out of ourselves, not just as individually but as a team.”
Robert Gsellman traveled with the team as part of the taxi squad and could be activated for a cameo before the weekend concludes. The right-hander has been sidelined since June with a torn right lat.
