FLUSHING, N.Y. - Sept. 30, 2019 - The MLB home run leaders are Pete Alonso of the New York Mets in first place, Eugenio Suarez of the Cincinnati Reds in second place, and Jorge Soler (KC Royals) in third place. Additionally, Pete Alonso broke the all-time MLB record of home runs by a rookie of 52, recently held by Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. He also became the first-ever rookie in MLB history to lead the National league AND the American league in home runs overall in any single season.
Up until the final four weeks of the season, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder and reigning National League most valuable player Christian Yellich, was hot on Alonso's tail for the top spot aboard the home run leader tally. As circumstances would have it though, Yellich would unfortunately break his kneecap and be out for the remainder of the season. Yellich had also been a front runner to repeat his perch atop the MVP voting, after recording some astronomical numbers up until that point, while in the top 10 for numerous offensive categories. Cody Bellinger was the other player constantly mentioned in the MVP talks after posting almost unheard of offensive numbers during the first half of the season (where he hit for over a .400 average for three months, with countless home runs and RBIs), but he predictably cooled off after the All-Star break. For a time, all-knowing baseball prognosticators were clamoring that the MVP award would come down to the Yelli-Belly show, in reference to Christian Yellich and Cody Bellingers stunning stats....plus it sounded pretty cool.
Unfortunately everything wasn't as rosy as it could have been for MLB executives this season, because home-run numbers had ONCE again come under microscopic scrutiny, as they've been on a meteoric rise over the past two and a half seasons. Many experts are pointing their fingers at the infamous "juiced baseball". Juiced baseballs are alleged to be the brainchild of MLB executives needing to attract the same home run frenzied fans of the steroid era, without garnering the negative and dreaded public relations backlash from back in the post BALCO and Biogenesis performance enhancing drug (PED's) scandal days.
The working theory is that within these past 2-1/2 years, the "juiced baseballs" are said to be intentionally "spirally wound" tighter in their Turrialba, Costa Rica factory birthplace than ever before, to incite the increased flight after impact. Most major league pundits, and broadcasters alike, took notice after that All-Star break, and pitchers since then have said that the ball is smoother, with a slicker feel, and lower, flatter stitched seams (which limits the resulting movement the pitcher can effectuate on the ball). If you take away the ability for a pitcher to create this movement, you're basically limiting him to throwing a straighter, flatter pitch, with less overall action, which is easier to "square up and smash" by the hitter.
It's quite apparent that overall fans and stadium attendance numbers seemingly rise and fall from one year to the next based on offensive mashing numbers from the hitters, (sorry pitchers, but not many fans enjoy the 1-0 shutout or no-hitter the way they used to). So MLB heads and baseball union executives are never in a hurry to find flaws in whatever is working to inflate those offensive numbers. They also know that in order for the sport to thrive, grow, and keep making hordes of money, they need to attract the youngest of the fans, as these will inevitably become lifelong fans...and those young fans LOVE the long ball.
The juiced baseballs theory sounds great on its own, but there is also something else MLB executives and the labor unions hope the public doesn't figure out too soon, and that is that maple bats have everything to do with this jump in home-run numbers (even at the AAA level), and they are more ubiquitous in dugouts these days than at any other time before. You can read a great write-up about that here: https://www.letsgo-mets.com/maple-bats-to-blame-for-mlbs-...
As you can see from the table above the number of home runs hit per at-bats, is at the lowest it has been for the past 60 years, even surpassing the steroid-era levels. The table shows that someone in the major leagues this year is hitting a home-run every 24.5 at-bats, significantly better than the 29.4 mark set during the 2000 season, when all the steroid hoopla was taking place.
Pete Alonso is averaging a home run every 11.2 at-bats this season. This feat will place him in the top five or six all-time among Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout..etc
OK, so let's get back to some background on good old University of Florida Gator and Tampa resident, Pete Alonso. At 24 years of age (25 by years end), his promotion to the major leagues wasn't exactly as a youngster. The New York Mets organization took a lot of heat from their fans for denying Alonso's promotion during last years major league campaign. Even at the start of spring training this year, there was conversation about whether or not the Mets would continue that trend, and send Alonso to their AAA affiliate, the Syracuse Mets. It was not until the MLB roster was announced within the final week of spring training that Mets fans could exhale with a sigh of relief.
You see, with skyrocketing superstar multi-million dollar contracts, more and more major league baseball team ownership heads are trying to maintain control over their younger talent. They do this by not allowing the player to establish "service time" parameters, and start the clock on their money-making days. These manipulative loopholes allow the major league franchise to keep their highest star-potential players down in their minor league farm systems until they're sure the player is set to bust out, and only usually at the very beginning of a season, or ideally, two weeks later, "wink-wink".
You see, organizations can benefit from keeping a rookie player away from the major league team for at least 12 days, (usually down in the minor leagues), after spending spring training with them in March. The benefit is that the rules stipulate that they can gain an extra year of control before that player can be eligible for arbitration (explained below). This will also eventually push back the players free agency timetable as well, which is also highly beneficial for the teams' financial bottom line, and NOT so good for the player at all. Additionally, if a team keeps that player down in the minor leagues until June, they can gain a second year of control. This was all the brainchild of the collective bargaining agreement between the labor unions and major league baseball ownership heads a few years ago.
Arbitration customarily occurs three years after a player has been called up to the major leagues and established those "service time" parameters, and consists of a large jump in their salaries based on their statistical performance during that service time.
Free agency occurs three years after arbitration and represents a much larger jump in salary and the potential to land a multi year, multi-million dollar contract depending on the players' performance as an established major league baseball player. The major league team for which the player is signed to during his free agent year can offer him a contract, which the player can accept or deny. If the player denies the offer, then he becomes a free agent during that off-season and is eligible to sign with the highest bidding team he chooses to. Confused yet? You aren't alone.
At 24 years of age, Pete Alonso is earning a mere $555,000 (if any of us 9 to 5-er's can call $555,000 "mere"), while putting up numbers and producing at a rate of a $20+ million a year player. But Pete seems to be of a different breed, in a short time with the team he has shown that he has the makings to succeed David Wright as the unabashed ambassador to baseball. His trip to the All-Star game event this year as a rookie was, by all measured metrics, a total success.
He entered the All-Star game home-run derby with little concern over how the superstition traditionally intimates a post contest jinx, which mires the hitter into a deep batting slump soon after. He won that derby on his last swing, in the final round, while going up against a 6'2, 260 pound 20 year old "up and coming" stud, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. Yes, Mr. Alonso has shown he does have a flair for the dramatic, and doesn't crumble under the lights.
So what does a guy who seems to be cut from a different cloth do with his $1 million dollar paycheck for winning the home run derby? Easy, he donates 5% to the "Wounded Warrior Project", and 5% to "Tunnel To Towers" charities (for those of you who failed math like I did, that's $100,000 in donations).
Veteran third baseman teammate Todd Frasier, nicknamed Pete, the "Polar Bear" during spring training, because he said he "looked so damn big". This became a great calling card among Pete's loyal followers, and that nickname has conjured feelings of a lovable, cuddly, persona to his fan base. Now, when you look out among the masses in their home park in Flushing Meadows Queens, you'll see many fans wearing a polar bear hat to show him their loyalty to a good guy donning the Mets "Orange and Blue".
He was rookie of the month in April and in June, and will likely be the unanimous winner of the Rookie of the Year, (and likely get quite a few MVP votes), when the votes are tallied up this fall, and Mark McGwire will have soon have some company as the first rookie of the year to also lead the league in home runs, the difference is that Pete Alonso lead the majors. LFGM.
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