After hitting his 40th home run of the season Monday, Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso became the first player to hit 40 or more home runs in his first season in both the National and American Leagues. Alonso spent the first seven years of his MLB career with the New York Mets, breaking onto the scene with 53 home runs in his rookie year while falling just short of a unanimous NL Rookie of the Year selection. The 31-year-old is quietly having a fantastic season for the AL East's last-place orioles, hitting 40 homers with an American League-leading 108 RBIs on the year.
He has a .869 OPS, which is tied for the third-highest mark of his career so far. He shockingly didn't receive an All-Star selection, but is sure to be on the shortlist for a Silver Slugger award and receive votes for MVP. In terms of bWAR, Alonso's first season with the Orioles ranks as the second best of his career, only behind his rookie season in 2019.
He has 4.6 bWAR on the year, and had 5.4 bWAR in his rookie year. Alonso, since breaking onto the scene in 2019, has been one of the best right-handed hitters in the game. He has 304 home runs in his career, which leads all right-handed hitters since he made his debut.
Through his eight seasons in the big leagues, Alonso has four seasons with 40 or more home runs, and hit at least 30 in three of the other four years. The only exception came during the shortened 2020 season. He has five All-Star appearances under his belt, as well as a single Silver Slugger selection, and received MVP votes in four of his seven seasons heading into this year.
Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles in the offseason, meaning he will be a key piece of the team for years to come as they attempt to rebuild in the hardest division in baseball. Whether they manage to do so or not is impossible to tell, but the first baseman looks to be at home in Birdland already.
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