Alonso smashes rookie records in May

Pete Alonso’s first two months in the big leagues have been nothing short of spectacular. After making the New York Mets Opening Day roster following his impressive spring training run, Alonso hit the ground running; he put up a .292 batting average, nine home runs and 26 RBI during his first 29 games in March and April. His performance landed him NL Rookie of the Month.

In May, fans witnessed Pete tackle numerous records that had been set in both the franchise and MLB as he continued to dominate offensively. His 10 home runs in May broke Darryl Strawberry’s record for the most home runs by a Met rookie in any calendar month, which Strawberry set in 1983 with nine; Alonso had tied his record in April. He also broke the Mets’ franchise record for most home runs by a rookie before the All-Star break, which was previously held by Ron Swoboda with 15 in 1965. With 19 homers so far, Alonso has plenty of time to increase that number before the break begins.

He also tied Mark McGwire for the most home runs by a rookie in the MLB before June 1 after hitting numbers 18 and 19 on May 29. He is currently in a three-way tie with Ike Davis and Ron Swoboda for the second most home runs by a rookie in the franchise, with Strawberry residing at the top of that list with 26 home runs.

With so much time left for the rest of Alonso’s rookie year, it’s possible that he can break even more records and put up numbers that rookies chase for years to come. He has the chance to surpass Aaron Judge, who currently holds the record for most home runs hit by a rookie in the MLB with 52, as well as Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran, who both hold the franchise record for most home runs in a single season by putting up 41 homers for the Mets.

Pete’s performance has warranted talks about him leading the race for the NL Rookie of the Year, and fans can’t wait to see what else he will accomplish during his first season.