Pete Alonso, affectionately nicknamed “Polar Bear,” has solidified his place as one of baseball’s premier power hitters since bursting onto the scene. New York Mets fans and baseball enthusiasts alike are constantly tracking his home run count, eager to see how many he’ll tally each season. If you’re wondering How Many Home Runs Does Pete Alonso Have This Year, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll break down his current season stats, compare them to his previous years, and analyze the underlying data that makes him such a formidable home run threat.
Pete Alonso’s Home Run Stats This Year (2024 Season)
As of the latest data available, in the 2024 season, Pete Alonso has hit 38 home runs. This impressive number continues his consistent trend of being a top home run hitter in Major League Baseball. To fully appreciate this figure, let’s put it into perspective by looking at his home run trajectory throughout his career.
Looking back at the provided data, we can see Alonso’s home run totals for each season:
- 2019: 53 Home Runs
- 2020: 16 Home Runs (Shortened season)
- 2021: 37 Home Runs
- 2022: 41 Home Runs
- 2023: 46 Home Runs
- 2024: 38 Home Runs (Current season as per data)
Alt Text: Pete Alonso’s year-by-year Statcast batting statistics table showcasing metrics like Barrels, Exit Velocity, and Home Runs, highlighting his consistent power hitting ability.
His rookie season in 2019 was record-breaking, setting the rookie home run record. While he hasn’t quite reached that peak again in terms of single-season home runs, his consistent performance above 35 home runs in full seasons demonstrates his sustained power and ability to drive the ball out of the park. The 2020 season, shortened due to external factors, naturally shows a lower count, but his rate of home runs was still strong. The subsequent seasons showcase a remarkable consistency in his home run production, firmly establishing him as a perennial home run threat.
Pete Alonso’s Career Home Run Trends: A Year-by-Year Analysis
Delving deeper into the numbers, we can observe some interesting trends in Pete Alonso’s home run hitting ability. While the raw home run totals are important, examining the underlying Statcast metrics provides a more nuanced understanding of his power.
Barrel Rate and Quality of Contact
The “Barrel %” statistic in the provided tables is a key indicator of quality contact and home run potential. A barrel is defined as a batted ball with the optimal combination of exit velocity and launch angle for home runs and extra-base hits. Let’s look at Alonso’s Barrel % over the years:
- 2019: 15.8%
- 2020: 12.8%
- 2021: 14.8%
- 2022: 12.3%
- 2023: 14.7%
- 2024: 13.2%
Alt Text: Table depicting Pete Alonso’s Quality of Contact metrics across seasons, including Barrel %, Solid %, and HardHit%, showing his ability to consistently make impactful contact.
Consistently maintaining a Barrel % above 12% is excellent, placing him among the league’s elite power hitters. While there are slight fluctuations year to year, his ability to generate barrels remains a constant strength. This data suggests that Alonso’s home run power is not simply luck; it’s rooted in his ability to consistently hit the ball with ideal exit velocity and launch angle.
Exit Velocity and Launch Angle
Exit velocity and launch angle are the two fundamental components of a barrel. Pete Alonso consistently ranks high in these metrics. His average exit velocity has remained around 90 mph throughout his career, and his maximum exit velocities have been among the highest in baseball, even reaching 118.4 mph in some seasons.
His launch angle, typically in the 14-18 degree range, is also in the sweet spot for generating home runs. These metrics, combined with his high barrel rate, paint a clear picture of a hitter who optimizes his swing for power and home run production.
Statcast Metrics and Home Run Ability: Beyond Raw Numbers
Statcast provides even more advanced metrics that help us understand Alonso’s home run prowess. Expected Home Runs (xHR) is a metric that estimates how many home runs a player should have hit based on the quality of their batted balls, taking into account factors like park dimensions.
Looking at the “Expected Home Runs” data:
- 2019: 50.5 xHR (Adjusted) vs. 53 HR (Actual)
- 2020: 15.6 xHR (Adjusted) vs. 16 HR (Actual)
- 2021: 37.4 xHR (Adjusted) vs. 37 HR (Actual)
- 2022: 38.9 xHR (Adjusted) vs. 41 HR (Actual)
- 2023: 41.5 xHR (Adjusted) vs. 46 HR (Actual)
- 2024: 35.5 xHR (Adjusted) vs. 38 HR (Actual)
Alt Text: Table showing Pete Alonso’s Expected Home Runs (xHR) compared to his Actual Home Runs across different seasons, illustrating his consistent ability to meet or exceed expected power output.
In most seasons, Alonso’s actual home run count closely aligns with or even exceeds his expected home run total. This suggests that his home run numbers are not inflated by favorable ballpark effects and are a true reflection of his hitting ability. In some years, like 2023, he significantly outperformed his xHR, indicating a potential for clutch hitting or perhaps even a degree of “luck” or outperformance in turning expected outcomes into actual home runs.
Home Run Breakdown by Pitch Type and Field Positioning
Analyzing Alonso’s run values against different pitch types provides further insights. He has consistently shown strong run values against fastballs (4-Seam Fastball, Sinker), which are often the pitches hitters look to drive for power. Interestingly, in some seasons, he’s also shown significant positive run values against breaking pitches like sliders and curveballs, indicating an ability to hit home runs against a variety of pitch types.
Alt Text: Statcast table detailing Pete Alonso’s Run Values against various pitch types like Fastball, Slider, and Curveball over the years, demonstrating his effectiveness against different pitching styles.
Regarding fielder positioning, the data suggests that defensive shifts have been employed against him, particularly earlier in his career. However, his wOBA (Weighted On-Base Average) against shifts doesn’t show a dramatic decrease compared to when not shifted, implying he has been able to adjust or hit through the shift to some extent. As shifts have become less prevalent in recent years, this could potentially open up more opportunities for hits and potentially home runs.
Pete Alonso’s Rank Among MLB Home Run Hitters This Year
To truly understand Alonso’s place in the home run landscape, it’s important to consider where he ranks among his peers. In the 2024 season, with 38 home runs, he is positioned as one of the leading home run hitters in MLB. While specific rankings fluctuate throughout the season, consistently hitting at this pace places him in the upper echelon of power hitters in the league.
Throughout his career, Alonso has frequently been among the league leaders in home runs. His rookie year home run title was just the beginning, and he continues to compete for the home run crown year after year. Comparing him to historical home run leaders, while he is still building his career totals, his per-season home run rate is comparable to many of the game’s great power hitters.
Conclusion: The Polar Bear’s Power Prowess
So, to definitively answer the question: Pete Alonso has 38 home runs this year (2024 season, as per data provided). But beyond just the number, the data reveals a consistent and elite power hitter. His high barrel rate, excellent exit velocity and launch angle metrics, and strong expected home run numbers all point to a player whose home run ability is well-founded and sustainable.
Pete Alonso is not just a player who occasionally hits home runs; he is a dedicated power hitter who optimizes his approach to drive the ball out of the park. As he continues his career, baseball fans can expect to see many more home runs from the “Polar Bear,” further solidifying his legacy as one of the game’s premier sluggers.
