Pete Alonso was one of the more outspoken Mets on social media since bursting onto the scene in 2019 and breaking the rookie home run record, so many were surprised when Alonso deactivated his social media accounts earlier this week.
Alonso was off the grid as he and the rest of the Mets position players were reporting to spring training, and he told reporters on Friday that his decision stemmed from a simple desire to be more present in his everyday life, as he looks to bounce back from a down year in 2020.
"For me, I think that real life is just absolutely fantastic," Alonso said. "I think life is a blessing and it's something I feel a lot of people including myself take for granted. I want to spend every second soaking in every single day, because every single new day is a blessing."
Alonso and the Mets struggled through the shortened 2020 season, but it was everything else happening outside of baseball that led to his decision to deactivate his accounts.
"In the wake of what happened last year, I feel like a lot of things were taken for granted," Alonso said. "In 2019, if you see everybody wearing masks you would think 'What's going on?' But there are these new social norms that are in place now that we took for granted."
Alonso hopes to return to his 2019 norm and help lead the Mets to a division title in 2021. If that happens, you likely won't see Alonso posting any victory tweets.
"For me, I just want to be appreciative of every single day and just live in real life," Alonso said.
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