Pete Alonso “Geeked Up” for 2020 Season

After months of speculation about whether a 2020 season would even happen, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is eager to dig his heels into preparations for the upcoming 60-game campaign.

Despite being given the “all clear” to resume play, the COVID-19 pandemic is still a reality across the country and presents a myriad of health and safety issues for the league. However, Alonso – speaking to the media via Zoom on Tuesday – says that he feels comfortable with the measures that have been put in place.

“I feel great about the protocols here in New York. I feel like this is a city that’s affected a lot by this whole thing, more than other places. I feel like here – especially at Citi Field – the protocols have been very, very regimented…we’re getting tested every other day, we’re getting the test results prompt and quick, and that’s what we need to keep guys healthy and on the field.”

Alonso has also been impressed by the Mets’ own efforts as an organization to honor key health and safety measures, telling reporters “I feel safe, everybody’s setup is at least…everyone’s close to 10 feet away at all times, the guys have been great with the masks. I feel like as a whole organization, we’re taking this thing very seriously because at the end of the day, if guys aren’t healthy and their sick, we’re not going to be able to even play.”

With such a focus on testing, masks, and social distancing – among other measures – it’s fair to wonder whether players are feeling the typical excitement associated with the start of a new season.

Alonso, for one, is feeling it big time.

“I’m geeked up to play, and ultimately I know that I’m not the only one who feels that way. Yes, all of us are baseball players – that is our job – but before we were baseball players, we were fans of the game of baseball. I feel like all of us love the game – and yes, there are extra steps that we have to take – but this is something that I’m really passionate about, and guys that are in that clubhouse, they’re very passionate about it as well, otherwise they wouldn’t be here.”

Another notable aspect of the season that will likely throw players off is restriction on fan attendance at games. Many, if not all, players feed off of crowd interaction – whether positive or negative – so where will that motivation come from?

According to the Mets’ first baseman, he doesn’t anticipate this being much of an issue.

“Well, for me, I know that every single New York Mets fan is going to be watching at home. Every time we play a game, yes, there’s people in the stands – whether it be packed house or a slow mid-week game – there’s still so many other people that are watching at home. You can have hundreds of thousands of people putting a smile on their face every single night.”

During his extended offseason, Alonso told reporters that he approached each day as they came, noting that he felt like he was in a “grey area” most of the time. Despite this, the first baseman said he remained prepared for a season, and that his offseason efforts – taking groundballs, throwing, hitting, facing live pitching in Tampa – have led him to feel great physically.

Alonso even mentioned that, at certain points during his offseason, he was able to hit for a bit with Dom Smith and watch Marcus Stroman throw, while also maintaining contact with new manager Luis Rojas.

As Summer Camp continues to progress and the season draws closer, another question remains hanging over Alonso’s head – with all of the social distancing protocols in place, what will become of celebrations with teammates?

“I know we’re not going to be able to do the chest bumps, the pregame handshake rituals, and the ripping shirts off after walk-off wins but we’ll figure something out. We have a really good chemistry, we have some good things going in the clubhouse. We’ll figure something out. You’ll see some fun antics during the season. We don’t know what yet, but it’s got to come out naturally.”

As far as some of those guys in that clubhouse go, Alonso says that he’s eager to see what they got in store for this season.

“[Yoenis Cespedes] is such a dynamic hitter, he’s a great baseball player. That’s a hell of a bat to have in the lineup. That’s just advantage us.” As for J.D. Davis, arguably last year’s breakout player, Alonso praised him as an “incredible worker” and a “great teammate” – noting that those qualities, combined with a good attitude, likely led to his success.

For Alonso, his own success in ’19 will surely be tough to replicate, but it’s certainly not impossible – particularly during a 60-game season that both he and his teammates are more than ready to begin.