Despite his impressive power demonstrated by hitting 46 home runs last season, Pete Alonso acknowledges that his .217 batting average and career-low .318 on-base percentage in 2023 indicate room for improvement in his overall hitting skills, a goal he aims to work on before the next season kicks off.
While Alonso desires to enhance his numbers, he recognizes that tweaking his approach is crucial in achieving this objective.
As per a New York Post article published on a Tuesday evening, Alonso stated, “There’s certain things that correlate to batting average. Minimizing chase is certainly No. 1. That will give me a chance to increase my batting average — swinging at stuff in the zone, and just consistently capitalizing on pitches in the zone. If I’m hitting balls hard consistently in the zone, that definitely correlates.
“If I am swinging at something in my zone and making a good swing decision, it’s hitting it hard forward.” Alonso continued. “In spring I am just going to focus on hitting the ball hard if it’s in my zone and making adjustments from there.”
Although Alonso’s perspective seems logical, statistics indicate that his hitting challenges may not be solely related to chase.
Notably, Alonso’s chase rate of 27.4% last season marked a career best. However, his hard-hit ball rate (40.1%) and the percentage of pitches in the strike zone at which he swung (61.9%) — both reaching career lows — suggest that Alonso might have been overly selective in his pitch choices, an aspect that could benefit from enhancement.
Furthermore, Alonso’s current contract situation could have influenced his on-field performance.
Given the prolonged contract negotiations and trade speculations surrounding Alonso due to the Mets’ underwhelming performance, distractions may have made him more cautious at the plate than usual.
Looking ahead, with Alonso becoming an unrestricted free agent after the conclusion of the 2024 season, trade rumors are likely to intensify if the Mets struggle again this year.
While Alonso’s individual performance may not be the primary concern for his team, he likely aims to boost his stats to secure a lucrative contract with another team in the upcoming offseason.
