Polar Bear Plunge

 

You know, when it came out that Pete Alonso's 53-homer rookie year was the result of altered baseballs, a lot of people figured Alonso would never reach that mark again because the circumstances would never be equal to that of 2019. Different balls, different probability of him getting there. And people thought his stock would sink. 

Well uh...Alonso currently leads the NL in home runs with 19 and the MLB in RBIs with 64. Pete Alonso has 64 RBIs in JUNE. This is the power hitter from the best team in the NL. This was not a one-time thing.

And so the Mets, who have been losing slightly more frequently before, are still capable of the big wins, and are still a heavy favorite in both the NL East and the NL in general. And what sets this team apart from earlier iterations is that there are some definite injuries affecting this team, not even just DeGrom and Scherzer but also Jeff McNeil now, James McCann and Tylor Megill again, and the team is still acting the same. deGrom, Scherzer and Megill are all incredible rotation assets, and even without them and with people like David Peterson and Trevor Williams, the team is still holding up. The team could be without Jeff McNeil for a bit but Luis Guillorme is literally RIGHT THERE, and is a perfectly suitable 2nd baseman in his own right. 

This is also just a very complete and consistent team right now. Every starter except for Nido and David has more than 50 hits and more than 20 RBIs. 5 starters have averages of .280 or higher. The Mets are getting great seasons out of Alonso, McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Mark Canha. And that's not even counting the number of great pitching performances this year, such as Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt, Carlos Carrasco and David Peterson. This Mets team feels very full, very complete, and very unified, which means they've solved a ton of problems from the last few seasons. I don't think it's as simple as just adding Buck Showalter, but that must have helped a ton.

And yet it's not a runaway. The Braves just won 14 straight. The Phillies were streaking as well. We're at a point where three NL East teams have momentum, and not just momentum but CRAZY momentum. And then all three of these teams have to eventually play each other and grapple for dominance. I'm not saying this dulls the Mets' chances, but it's not exactly a foregone conclusion that they win the division with teams as good as those two chasing them. 

I'm fine with any outcome, honestly. Maybe they all make the postseason. Maybe the battle gets even bloodier in October. Can you imagine Alonso's bat in October?

Coming Tonight: We thought he was a fool for nixing a contract to stay in Houston and signing with a low-tier rebuilding team. Who's laughing now?