New York — Time after time, leadership gets passed down. That’s especially true for those that are sponges; not only willing to learn, but eager to lead.
Pete Alonso grew up in the big leagues alongside some of the greatest players who have ever stepped on a baseball field. In 2019, even as he slugged his way to 53 home runs and won the National League Rookie of the Year award with the Mets, Alonso never presumed to know it all. He leaned on veterans to understand how to be a professional major-leaguer, and how to do things the right way.
Seven years ago, he didn’t know where life would take him. Now, playing with the Orioles on a record-breaking contract, Alonso is bringing all that he’s learned to Baltimore, aiming to shape it into a championship-caliber organization.
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“I was really fortunate,” Alonso told me at Yankee Stadium this week. “I’ve had a lot of great teammates. Max Scherzer, [Jacob] deGrom, [Justin] Verlander. Future Hall of Famers. And for me, too, Noah [Syndergaard] was a huge influence. Robbie Cano, Todd Frazier. So those guys, they would take me out to dinner, bring me places, introduce me to things. They were like, ‘This is not only how you play, but this is how you behave.’ It was like, these are the standards of what you need to carry yourself as a professional, not just in the big leagues, but in New York.
“And I feel like those professional life lessons, they kind of helped me through. It’s definitely made a big impact. They were showing me, this is what you do in the big leagues. This is how you operate. So, for me, I’m paying it forward. I was on the receiving end for a number of years, so now it’s like, it’s my turn.”
Being a mentor to his Baltimore teammates has come naturally for the first baseman.
It was Alonso’s idea to take the O’s to the Clemente Museum — which is dedicated to preserving the life and legacy of baseball player and humanitarian, Roberto Clemente — when they traveled to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates in the second week of the season. Over the years, Alonso has built a strong relationship with the museum’s owner, Duane Rieder, who the slugger said, “Makes some of the best wine and has incredible baseball memorabilia.” The Clemente Museum houses an urban winery in the cellar, which surprised some younger players.
“It’s just really an unbelievable hangout spot,” Alonso said. “I think it’s the best one in Pittsburgh. So it’s an easy thing to do. I want to be able to do things like that because we did a lot of things that built camaraderie on some of the good teams that we had with the Mets. All good teams, they do stuff together.”
The Orioles entered Thursday with a 17-20 record. Much like many contending teams around the league struggling to eclipse .500, it’s not the start Baltimore had hoped for. But Alonso is reminding his new club to stay the course. Those who are getting to know the way the “Polar Bear” works have appreciated that, even if Alonso goes 0-for-4 with four strikeouts at the plate, he’s still the same guy, keeping his head up, afterward.
Orioles teammates describe Alonso as a vocal leader. He’s often the first to speak up on team bus rides. He’s tapping players on their backs after losses, saying, “We’ll get ‘em tomorrow.” He’s spending extra time in the batting cages with hitters — particularly after games, wins or losses — to help when someone isn’t having the most success at the plate, or if someone’s struggling with a certain pitch.
Third baseman Coby Mayo, now in his third year in the big leagues, has struggled to hit offspeed pitches this season. He was starting to get down on himself when Alonso stepped in and offered a new approach: “How about just eliminating the pitch?” Alonso advised Mayo to stop swinging at curveballs and sliders, and then opposing pitchers might change their game plans against the 24-year-old. Mayo has since focused on working himself into better counts. He’s forcing pitchers to throw more competitive pitches in the strike zone.
“Instead of worrying about not hitting this pitch, well, mostly, it’s because you’re not swinging at the right ones, and you’re chasing them too much,” Mayo told me, explaining how Alonso has collaborated with him. “So, just little things that can help you see it in a different way. It’s cool that he takes the time to talk to guys about it.”
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Guiding younger Orioles hitters like Mayo, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Jeremiah Jackson was one of the primary reasons owner David Rubenstein was comfortable signing Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract in December. Alonso’s $31 million average annual value marks the largest commitment in Orioles franchise history. Baltimore’s roster carries several promising young talents, and there was a void in leadership that is now being filled in a way players hadn’t seen or experienced prior to Alonso’s addition.
“We would do little things here and there, but I’d say this is the first year when I’ve felt that presence, that leadership presence,” Mayo said. “He’s been great. We haven’t had a guy come into that type of role, making the biggest contract in our history. So it’s definitely a higher level of respect for Pete.”
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz considers Alonso his “thought partner.” Being new to the organization, accompanied by a new coaching staff, the first-year skipper has enjoyed bouncing ideas off the first baseman. Alonso is “echoing the right messaging, and he also wants to talk ball,” Albernaz told me. Alonso reached the postseason in 2022 and ‘24 with the Mets, so Albernaz is leaning on the slugger to help the Orioles get back on track.
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
After back-to-back playoff appearances (2023-24), the 2025 Orioles season was a major disappointment. They finished 75-87, last place in the American League East, and were eliminated from postseason contention by mid-September. Following a poor start, manager Brandon Hyde was fired last May. The team failed to recover largely due to an absence of strong pitching and extreme underperformance from their emerging hitters.
There was a missing piece in the clubhouse and, so far, Alonso has looked like the answer. After a slow start at the plate, the slugger is beginning to heat up. Alonso’s three-run blast off Marlins right-hander Eury Perez in the first inning Wednesday was the difference in Baltimore’s 7-4 win over Miami. He’s hitting .225/.331/.449 with seven home runs and a 119 OPS+ in 37 games.
“Pete was brought in to be Pete Alonso,” Albernaz told me during Orioles batting practice in the Bronx this week. “And everything he brings on the field, it’s been an added bonus of him being him, and how he navigates the clubhouse. It really comes down to him being a great teammate. He really wants the best out of everyone around him. He wants to help. He’s there to help. He’s not overbearing. As I’m talking now, he’s dapping up kids and stuff. He has such a big heart. He cares so much. And he’s such a fierce competitor. He really wants to win every night. He’s about winning.”
(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Community service is another area where Alonso has always been a leader, and he and his wife, Haley, haven’t wasted any time giving back to Baltimore.
Last month, the Alonso’s donated $10,000 through the Alonso Foundation to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, a local shelter not far from Camden Yards. They’ve rescued two dogs, and they love animals, so Alonso described the decision to donate as “a quick, easy thing.” And after becoming parents last September, welcoming their son, Teddy, into the world, the Alonso’s have shifted their efforts to helping families and mothers. Understanding all that it takes to raise a child, they’ve made a few donations to a local Baltimore diaper bank.
“Diapers aren’t cheap,” Alonso said. “So we just wanted to kind of help out that way, too. We want to be able to do more, but we’ve just been so busy. As the season starts to kind of unfold, and we spend more time, we’ll have a better plan of how to help out more.”
Paying it forward, indeed.
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