Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He slugged his way onto the back covers of the New York tabloids all summer by crushing baseballs outrageous distances. On the streets of the Big Apple, from Broadway to Queens, they refer to him as the Polar Bear.

How much has life changed for former Gators first baseman Pete Alonso the past six months?

On Monday, about 36 hours after cranking his 53rd home run of the season – setting the record for most homers in MLB history by a rookie – Alonso replied to a tweet from comedian and New York Mets superfan Jerry Seinfeld about appearing in a possible "Seinfeld" reboot.

Joke or no joke, Alonso's appeal stretches far and wide following the Summer of Pete.

The 24-year-old Alonso wasn't sure if he would make the Mets roster coming out of spring training. He not only made the team but began to shatter records, finishing his rookie season with a .260 average, franchise-record 53 HRs and 120 RBI, topped in Mets history only by Mike Piazza and David Wright. He is the first rookie in the modern era to lead the majors outright in home runs and surpassed Aaron Judge (52) in 2017 and Mark McGwire (49) in 1987 in the single-season record books for most home runs by a rookie.
 
Yes, Alonso has arrived.

Less than three years after his final swing for the Gators in the 2016 College World Series, Alonso announced his presence in the majors with his first career home run on April 2 at Marlins Park in Miami. He didn't stop crushing balls over outfield walls until his record-setting No. 53 on Saturday night at Citi Field, drilling a solo shot in the third inning off Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz.

Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan got a text over the weekend from Peter Alonso, Pete's dad. It was a photo of the socks his son wore underneath his striped white Mets uniform on Saturday night against the Braves.

"When he hit No. 53, he had his Gators socks on,'' O'Sullivan said Tuesday.

As Alonso swung his way into the record books, O'Sullivan often got asked by colleagues and complete strangers more and more about his former player. Alonso was a productive bat in the lineup for the Gators – he led the team with a .374 average, 14 homers and 60 RBIs his final season – but suffered a foot injury and hand injury during his career that kept him out for extended periods.

He finished at UF with 23 career home runs, well short of cracking the school's all-time top 10 career list. Former UF standout Matt den Dekker, who also played for the Mets in the majors, is currently 10th on UF's career list with 33.

Still, taken by the Mets in the second round of the 2016 draft, Alonso sped through the minors and is now one of the brightest young stars in the big leagues.

"It's a story I don't think anyone saw coming," O'Sullivan said. "He always had freak injuries. He was hurt off and on for three years and sometimes it takes a while for that power to really show up in games. We knew when we recruited him he was going to have power."


Like with the Mets, when Alonso went deep for the Gators, the ball usually went far out of the park. He connected for the two longest home runs in the history of TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha during his college career and could wow teammates at batting practice.

O'Sullivan recalled Tuesday how Gators assistant coach Craig Bell first saw Alonso, who starred at Tampa's Plant High, at a summer showcase. Once Bell told O'Sullivan Alonso was worth a call, he dialed his number.

"I remember the first time I talked to Pete, I was in my garage at home,'' O'Sullivan said. "He wasn't highly recruited. I think it came down to us and Miami at the end. He committed relatively quickly. He came from a really good high school program. He had some really good coaching before he got to us."

Having recruited several players from Plant, including former Gators star and big leaguer Preston Tucker, O'Sullivan was not surprised at Alonso's seasoned approach to the game.

Once he got into the UF program, Alonso continued to develop when injuries stayed out of his way.

"Offensively, the frequency of making hard contact [improved],'' O'Sullivan said. "He never got enough credit for his defense. He worked really, really hard on his defense. He worked on his defense as much as his offense. It wasn't like he came to the field every day and worried about just one side of the game. He was well-rounded that way."

Besides his towering home runs, what has made Alonso's rise from relative unknown to fan favorite is his obvious joy in playing the game. Many professional athletes find playing in New York and the demands of fans and media suffocating.

Alonso has thrived. Others have noticed, including Seinfeld.

Nostradamus would likely have passed on picking Alonso for his fantasy team six months ago, but one aspect of this unlikely summer story does not surprise O'Sullivan.

The welcome that Alonso -- or the Polar Bear if you prefer -- has received in New York.

"From where I stood as the head coach, the players loved him,'' he said. "He was always happy-go-lucky, he was always free-spirited. He is obviously well-liked by his teammates [in New York]. As far as that side of his personality, I saw that right from day one."