SURPRISE, Ariz. — Peter Alonso is no stranger to mashing homers, which is exactly what he did to start the scoring in the Arizona Fall League’s 13th Annual Fall Stars Game on Saturday night.
The 2018 Minor League home run co-champ took the second pitch — a 103-mph fastball from Blue Jays No. 4 prospect Nate Pearson — deep to straightaway center with an exit velocity of 110 mph, per Trackman.
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Peter Alonso is no stranger to mashing homers, which is exactly what he did to start the scoring in the Arizona Fall League’s 13th Annual Fall Stars Game on Saturday night.
The 2018 Minor League home run co-champ took the second pitch — a 103-mph fastball from Blue Jays No. 4 prospect Nate Pearson — deep to straightaway center with an exit velocity of 110 mph, per Trackman.
:: 2018 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game ::
“I knew he could hit, I was going to challenge him,” Pearson said. “I got one fastball by him, tried to get another, but he was ready for it. He’s a great hitter.”
Surprise Stadium doesn’t have Statcast™, but to put Alonso’s blast into perspective, the fastest pitch hit for a home run since Statcast™ began recording data in 2015 was a 102.8 mph fastball from Aroldis Chapman that Rafael Devers took deep in August 2017.
Alonso finished the 2018 regular season with 36 homers, tied for the Minor League lead. The Mets’ No. 2 prospect (No. 56 overall) is tied for second in the Arizona Fall League with four homers through 19 games, so going deep on the AFL’s biggest stage only seemed natural.
Not only are massive homers becoming a habit for Alonso, but so is setting Statcast™ records.
Just last week, Alonso hit a double that had an exit velocity of 116.3 mph— harder than any ball a Mets player had hit since 2015. Later in that game, he homered at 113.6 mph.
Need more evidence that Alonso is a dream-come-true for Statcast™ lovers?
During the Futures Game, Alonso hit a two-run homer with an exit velocity of 113.6 mph and a launch angle of 46 degrees, which was the only ball Statcast™ has ever tracked with an exit velocity over 113 mph and a launch angle over 40 degrees.
Video: [email protected]: Alonso’s 415-foot home run down the line
William Boor is a reporter for MLB Pipeline. Follow him on Twitter at @wboor.
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