Mets’ HR king will be excited to hand crown to Alonso – MLB.com

Bill LadsonNEW YORK — Mets legend Darryl Strawberry was ecstatic to learn that free agent Pete Alonso is “staying home” with the Amazin’s.Strawberry called Alonso a homegrown player who has made his mark in the Big Apple, and Alonso has a chance to add to his legacy this season. He is 27 homers away from breaking the Mets’ career mark (252), held by Strawberry, who played for the Mets from 1983-90.“He is going to break it and somebody is going to break his. That’s just the way it goes in sports,” Strawberry said via telephone. “If I had a record that long, it means I accomplished something. … When he does break it, it’s a big congratulations, just like when David Wright broke my RBI record. It’s a big congratulations to those younger players that came along and had great success with the same franchise.”Alonso has accomplished quite a bit during his six years with the Mets. Three years after being drafted in the second round of the 2016 Major League Draft, he hit a Major League rookie-record 53 home runs and won the first of his two Home Run Derbies. His signature moment came last October in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series, when he hit the go-ahead homer against Brewers closer Devin Williams and helped the Mets advance to the Division Series against the Phillies.“He is staying true to where he has had great success. I think that is important, being able to do that and not walk away from the situation,” Strawberry said. “It’s a plus for him as he continues to move forward. … I know it’s a tough decision. Of course, every player has every right to get as much as he can. A career doesn’t last forever.”Strawberry often said he didn’t want Alonso to make the same mistake he made after he became a free agent following the 1990 season, when he signed with the Dodgers. A seven-time All-Star while playing for the Mets, Strawberry never lived up to expectations after moving on to Los Angeles and then the Giants. He would later become a valuable bench player with the Yankees from 1995-99 and helped them win two World Series titles.“It’s not the same after playing in a place like New York,” Strawberry said. “First of all, New York is the toughest place to play. To be able to play under that kind of expectation and perform at the highest level in a particular place like New York City, you have arrived as a player. A lot of players won’t play there because of the pressure, media and everything that you have to deal with. But Pete has done that.“The only thing that is left for him now is to win [a World Series title]. The thing I have on my record is that we won there. [The Mets] were in the National League Championship Series [in 1988 against the Dodgers] and we lost. No one is going to remember if you don’t win. That’s the whole thing about playing in New York. It’s about winning there. That’s what the Mets and Pete are looking at now. All he needs to do is take this organization to the next level and they need to win.”Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball.On paper, the 2025 Mets have the talent to win their first title since 1986, a team Strawberry played for. Besides bringing Alonso back, the team added superstar outfielder Juan Soto to solidify the offense and re-signed left-hander Sean Manaea for the front end of the rotation. Strawberry likes the team, but it won’t be easy because the National League is stacked.“The Mets have a chance to make history for themselves. It has been too long,” Strawberry said. “It looks great on paper, but you have to do it on the field. That’s going to be the most important thing. … Everything has to go right for you to be in the winner’s circle. They have a chance to dominate as an offensive team with [Francisco] Lindor and all the other guys up and down the lineup. [Jeff] McNeil has to come back and have a good year. … It’s going to take all the guys to be productive in that lineup. I can tell you, the Dodgers, Braves, Phillies and those other teams are not going anywhere. They are very talented, too.”

Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/darryl-strawberry-on-pete-alonso-returning-to-mets