By WFAN.com
Pete Alonso's home run Thursday night in Atlanta was just the sort of jaw-dropping blast that deserved some discussion the next morning on the "Boomer and Gio" show.
In the seventh inning of the Mets' 6-3 win, the rookie clobbered a 454-foot, two-run homer that landed in the terrace fountain beyond SunTrust Park's center-field wall. Its 118.3 mph exit velocity made it the hardest-hit homer in the majors this season -- and only Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge have hit homers with higher exit velocities since the stat started being tracked in 2015.
Right into the water hazard. pic.twitter.com/HKU1CFKu7B
— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2019While some people are quick to dismiss exit velocity as an important metric, WFAN's Gregg Giannotti said it does help put what Alonso did in perspective.
"The reason why I think it's a little bit important is the fact that if you look at the other guys who are hitting balls as hard as Pete Alonso, it's Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton," he said. "And also it shows you that it's not just luck that Pete Alonso is falling into. And that's what's used by general managers and analytic guys that 'look how hard he's hitting the ball.' This shows you that he's got a dominance right now at the plate. It's not just a bloop here or bloop there."
Jerry Recco, filling in for Boomer Esiason on Friday, said his reaction upon seeing the home run was, "Holy crap!"
"That thing's like 10 feet above the fence in dead center field, and they show on MLB Network the trajectory of the ball, and it is an absolute laser shot," he said. "And I don't really care so much about the exit velo and all that stuff, as impressive as it was, but that is just a blast of a home run from this kid."
Twelve games into his career, Alonso has a .378/.911/1.362 slash line with six homers and 17 RBIs.
Gio called him "one of the best offensive players in baseball right now" but added that a slump is inevitable.
"The league will catch up to him at some point, and he's going to go through a stretch of a week or more where he looks lost because something will be found out and shared throughout the National League of how to get him out, and then he's going to have to adjust back," he said. "And that's just the story of a young hitter in Major League Baseball."
To listen to the show's full open, in which Gio and Jerry also discuss Steven Matz's impressive performance, concerns about Gary Sanchez's health and more, click on the audio player above.
Listen to Mets games this season on the team's new flagship station -- our sister station -- WCBS 880 AM.
