Inside The Mets

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso wants to set this baseball record

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has his eyes set on reaching this rare baseball milestone.

Logan VanDine

Oct 18, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) celebrates his three run home run during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) celebrates his three run home run during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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New York Mets' first baseman Pete Alonso is on the verge of surpassing Darryl Strawberry for the most home runs in franchise history this season.

But the slugger has his eyes set on reaching another baseball milestone for his career.

In an exclusive interview, Alonso told Newsday that a personal goal of his would be to hit 500 career home runs, which would almost certainly make him a lock to reach the Baseball Hall of Fame. Even though the 30-year-old admitted that "it's a crazy number to think about," Alonso still sees it as a realistic goal to set and to also slug more home runs after.

Read More: Pete Alonso 'perfectly content' with return to the Mets on short-term deal

The Polar Bear said that the 500 career home run mark has been something he's been thinking about for years, especially after hitting his first 100 career homers in just 347 games. Alonso also emphasized his ability to stay healthy; since making his major league debut in 2019, the first baseman has missed a total of just 20 games, and only Marcus Semien (859 games) has played in more games than Alonso's 846.

Alonso isn't the only one who thinks he can reach 500 career long balls: hitting coach Eric Chavez also spoke with Newsday, and said that the historic mark is "definitely in range" for the slugger.

2024 was a down year by Alonso's standards, as he slashed just .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs, 88 RBI, and a career-worst .788 OPS. But the first baseman has still cemented himself as one of the league's most prolific power hitters; only Aaron Judge (232) has hit more homers than Alonso (226) since 2019. As mentioned before, the slugger is also just 27 homers away from becoming the Mets' all-time leader.

While Alonso may still have a lot to work to do to reach 500 career home runs, especially now that he's 30 years old, his consistent ability to hit north of 30 home runs each season and his durability makes that rare feat a realistic goal for him.

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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan

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