The Mets are wrapping up a wild past week that included a benches-clearing altercation, the creation of a fake hitting coach and the departure of two real coaches.
Hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant Tom Slater were the two casualties, which surprised many within the clubhouse, including Pete Alonso, who told reporters he cried at his locker when he heard the news.
The Mets offense had been struggling up to that point, ranking 29th out of 30 teams in runs per game with putrid numbers with runners in scoring position, but it still caught the team off guard, especially Alonso, who benefited from Davis in 2019 to win the National League Rookie of the Year while hitting a rookie record 53 home runs.
"Me and him speak the same language," Alonso told Moose & Maggie on Friday. "He's extremely helpful to me. I don't think I would have had the success I had the first two years without him. I think my in-game adjustments, because he gets it and is an old school player, and I feel like I'm reminiscent of the old school players that played in the league. I'm going to miss his input, but he's also a text or phone call away, and he's always going to be a part of our Mets family."
Alonso's old school approach to hitting will likely be put to the test with the departure of Davis and Slater, who were let go due to "process, not results," per acting general manager Zack Scott. That could signify a move into a more modern approach to hitting, with Davis and his links to an era gone by heading out the door.
Which begs the question, how much does Alonso want to rely on modern data, as he continues to be one of the best bats in a struggling Mets lineup?
"I think having analytics is a good thing and a bad thing," Alonso said. "It's a double-edged sword. But I want to educate myself and speak the 'analytics language.' That's what I did this offseason. I want to be able to become as fluent as I possibly can so I know what to use and not to use. I think analytics are great as far as preparation, but when it's game time, you have to believe in your preparation and have to go compete. But if you're thinking too hard about numbers and splits and certain zones or trying to hit it a certain way, the ball is going to get blown by me."
With that in mind, Alonso is open to a newer view on hitting from new hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum and assistant Kevin Howard, who replaced Davis and Slater this past week.
"Having a new perspective in Quattlebaum and Kev, they provide different inputs, and I feel like having different inputs and new perspectives and be productive," Alonso said. "I'm excited to keep working with Kev and Q…Yes, they're different, but there could be a huge added benefit to that."
At the same time, Alonso feels there's a benefit to sticking with what works, and before Davis was shown the door, the two had found what worked for Alonso, who has hit five home runs and carries an OPS of .876, a big bump from last season. But Alonso said Quattlebaum and Howard haven't come in and tried to change anything about his approach, which he appreciates.
He doesn't plan on changing anything right now either, even with a new hitting process being put in place by the coaching staff.
"I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible," Alonso said. "I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel at the dish…regarding changing or implementing anything new, I feel like I'm in a good place and continue to be in a good place. So I think right now, I'm going to say no, like a soft 'no,' but we've exchanged a bunch of information and perspectives, which is awesome. I think ball talk is a great thing."
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