New York Mets rookie first baseman Pete Alonso, riding a strong performance in spring training, made the Opening Day roster.
Alonso hit .368 with four home runs in 71 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League, slugging .647.
Alonso, 24, was a 2016 second-round pick from Florida and rose quickly through the Mets system, hitting .290 and smacking 59 home runs in 255 minor league games. Rated as New York’s top prospect by MLB.com, Alonso hit 36 homers across the Double-A and Triple-A levels last season.
“I might cry if they give me the thumbs-up, because it’s a lifelong dream,” he told the New York Post on Monday. “This is my livelihood, my life’s work and to get the thumbs-up, you’re a big leaguer, that’s surreal.”
The Mets open at the Washington Nationals on Thursday afternoon.
Mets officials insisted during spring training that service time wouldn’t be an issue that prevented Alonso from being on the Opening Day roster. If he had spent the first 15 days of the season in the minors, the team would have retained a year of control before he could reach free agency.