How Pete Alonso's plate discipline improved after his swing was ‘out of control' in 2024

New York Times

15-05-2025

So, Pete Alonso, how did you improve your decision-making in the batter's box so dramatically?
'We need probably about four beers and 2 1/2 hours to talk about it,' the New York Mets first baseman said, smiling.
Four beers was out of the question for an earnest journalist seeking deeper truths. Two-and-a-half hours was out of the question for a top slugger preparing for another night of mashing.
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The short version is that Alonso's spectacular first seven weeks — his top four OPS-plus entering Wednesday, his National League-leading 36 RBIs — are directly attributable to his improved plate discipline.
Alonso, 30, did not suddenly gain a better understanding of the strike zone. He gained a better understanding of himself.
'I'm in control of my mechanics. I'm moving more efficiently. With that, I can see the ball better,' Alonso said. 'There's not as much wasted movement. I just see the ball better because I'm in a better spot mechanically.'
Alonso hit a combined 80 home runs in 2023 and '24, but his OPS+ in each season was 23 percent above league average, compared to 40 percent above in his first four years. He rallied in the postseason to hit four homers and drive in 11 runs, but entered free agency still far from satisfied.
As detailed by The Athletic's Will Sammon in early March, Alonso studied video to determine why his swing last season was, in his words, 'out of control.' He then worked out at Diesel Optimization in Tampa, putting what he learned into practice.
'My past two seasons, granted, I've had success, but it wasn't the type of success I feel like I'm capable of,' Alonso said. 'I'm not going to complain about my performance. Don't like it, play better. But for me, having a greater understanding of my swing, my mechanics, that has helped tremendously.
'To be honest, I really wanted to find a new level. Me just being competitive, I just didn't think I was reaching my potential with my process. I just felt like there's more meat on the bone, more inside I wasn't tapping into. I felt like I was operating at 80 percent.'
This season, he is closer to realizing his full potential, at least so far.
Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez noticed a difference in Alonso early in spring training, telling Sammon, 'It's the best I've ever seen him. I'm very, very optimistic that Pete is going to have a monster year.'
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Bold predictions from hitting coaches are like campaign promises from politicians, often amounting to empty words. This time, though, Chavez was onto something.
Alonso's .311 batting average, .421 on-base percentage and .584 slugging percentage all would represent career-highs by significant margins.
The decline in his strikeout rate from 24.8 percent in 2024 to 20 percent in 2025 was the 14th largest in the majors, according to STATS Perform. The increase in his walk rate from 10.1 percent to 13.8 percent also was the 14th largest.
Alonso, a right-handed hitter, was the only player to appear in the top 15 on both lists. And his numbers were even better before his past eight games, in which he has walked only twice and struck out 15 times.
'I always told him, 'You have 100 walks as soon as the year starts because you're Pete Alonso, or at least 80,'' Chavez said. 'But he should walk 100 times just because he's the biggest threat in the lineup. Now, obviously Juan (Soto) is there, too. But when Pete's on-base is .320, that's too low. He's too good of a hitter. He just was in bad positions, even though he was very strong and would do good things.'
Chavez said in the spring that Alonso's transformation began with his hips, getting them into the correct position, holding them in that spot and firing them both at the right time and in the right direction. Now that he has less forward movement, he can better decipher pitches out of the hand.
Alonso entered Wednesday with a .280 expected batting average and .508 expected slugging percentage against breaking balls, both well above his actual numbers and a major improvement from last season. Interestingly enough, he said he doesn't actually see spin, the rotation of a breaking ball. He detects those pitches by their shape, the hump in their movement after they pop out of a pitcher's hand.
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'Certain people can say, 'I see the dot.' I'm like, 'What are you talking about?'' Alonso said. '(Teammate Brandon) Nimmo, he'll say, 'I can see the rotation of the ball.' I'm like, 'Good for you.' For me, it's just recognizing pitch shape. If a ball moves a certain way, that's a slider.'
In that respect, Alonso is not necessarily unusual. Chicago Cubs designated hitter Justin Turner, a 17-year veteran, said hitters identify those pitches three ways. The way Alonso does, by seeing the hump. The way Nimmo does, by picking up the red dot formed by the blur of the stitches. Or, the way Turner prefers, by the positioning of the pitcher's hand — a method that provides a hitter with the earliest possible recognition.
Alonso also is crushing fastballs this season, as evidenced by his .314 expected batting average and .667 expected slugging percentage against them, both slightly lower than his actual numbers. To Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, two moments in early April stood out.
The first was an opposite-field home run by Alonso off a 1-2 fastball down and away, just outside the zone, from Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. The second was a homer to straightaway center in Miami off Marlins righty Calvin Faucher, off a 2-2 fastball on the outer edge to complete a nine-pitch at-bat.
Even with his recent slowdown, Alonso is on a 34-homer, 136-RBI pace. He is within 17 homers of tying Darryl Strawberry for the Mets' all-time franchise record. And, after protracted negotiations with the Mets that resulted in a two-year, $54 million contract with a one-year opt-out, he is setting himself up to re-enter the free-agent market in much better position.
The leading metrics even show an uptick in Alonso's defense — which, outside of his ability to scoop balls out of the dirt, never was considered a strength. Chavez recently saw Alonso go for a ball in a way he might not have last season, and told him all the work he does on his hips and balance is benefiting him in the field.
'He would move, and it was like a big body moving out of control,' Chavez said. 'Now it's a big body moving under control.'
Four beers weren't necessary. A 2 1/2-hour explanation wasn't necessary. By gaining control of his movements, Alonso gained control of the strike zone. Became an even better version of himself by fixing his body to fix his mind.