Pete Alonso is one of the premier sluggers of the 2020s. He won back-to-back Home Run Derby titles in 2019 and 2021. He’s currently three home runs shy of 300, in just his eighth season in the majors.
After seven fruitful years with the New York Mets, Alonso took his first big pivot and signed with the Baltimore Orioles. At first glance, it looked like Alonso’s career was spiraling in his new chapter. It seemed like another classic story of a new team breaking a once-great player.
Through March and April, Alonso slugged just .361 with four home runs. In April alone, he batted an abysmal .175, collecting just 17 hits in 27 games. He posted the sort of numbers that instantly flip offseason excitement into sudden, widespread disappointment.
However, only a select few people close to him knew what was actually holding him back. While fans and evaluators pointed to things like his aggressiveness and pitch selection, little did they know the real issue: learning to father his first son, Teddy.
Adjusting to fatherhood
Alonso told The Baltimore Banner that in April, “things were out of sync.” He and his wife, Haley, welcomed Teddy into the world in September 2025. However, 2026 is the first full season in which Alonso is serving dual roles as a star hitter and father.
“I had to be a ballplayer and a father at the same time,” Alonso said. “Once I kind of hammered that down… it kind of helped me learn a lot.” While several MLB players are also fathers, the adjustment took a toll on Alonso at first.
He admitted that his recovery process was “totally different” than it was in the past. To combat this, Alonso focused on finding more sleep, whether it be at night or during the day. He added that he would occasionally nap with his son Teddy, capitalizing on any downtime that came his way.
Improved results showed up pretty fast after Alonso got his schedule in check. The first baseman said by May he thought to himself, “Oh, I feel like myself.” That’s no lie, either — Alonso’s average jumped to .277 for the month, accompanied by seven home runs.
Success, rediscovered
It turns out that the adjustment to fatherhood really wasn’t a cover for a decline in performance. Since May, Alonso is producing well above his career marks. He still has yet to post a month below an .840 OPS, quite impressive considering the MLB average sits just above .700.
Here’s the month-by-month breakdown:
- May: .840 OPS, 7 HR
- June: .947 OPS, 8 HR
- July: .841 OPS, 4 HR
- August: 1.026 OPS, 9 HR
- September: .863 OPS, 2 HR (8 G)
During his resurgent four-and-a-half months, Alonso literally produced a 30-homer season with a .285 average to go with it. Excluding April, he virtually produced Shohei Ohtani’s full 2026 season in one fewer month. That’s how dangerous he’s been since figuring out being a father.
Compared to the rest of his career, Alonso is reaching a new height in the power department. His 94.1 mph average exit velocity is the highest it’s ever been. The same can be said for his blistering 56.9% hard-hit rate.
Going really deep, his .394 xwOBA is the best of his career, which should be significant to fans. xwOBA is a value stat for pure contact quality, and his .394 mark is extremely impressive. Only Yordan Alvarez and James Wood are better in that department, which is elite company in 2026.
2 Comments