Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was named the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes.
Alonso, 24, made the Mets’ Opening Day roster and, like Álvarez, looked major league-ready as soon as he debuted. He finished the season as the league leader in homers with 53 while also knocking in 120 runs, scoring 103 runs, and batting .260/.358/.583 over 693 trips to the plate. FanGraphs listed Alonso with 4.8 WAR, by far the most among rookies. Alonso also won a little thing called the Home Run Derby, earning $1 million in the process. He donated $50,000 apiece to two charities, Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Alonso, rated as the No. 48 prospect in baseball before the season started, is the first Met to win the award since starter Jacob deGrom in 2014. He is the sixth Met to win it, joining deGrom as well as Dwight Gooden (1984), Darryl Strawberry (1983), Jon Matlack (1972), and Tom Seaver (1967).
Braves starter Mike Soroka finished in second place and Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. finished in third. Also receiving votes were Bryan Reynolds, Dakota Hudson, and Victor Robles.