Pete Alonso Wins AL Award After 1st Baltimore Orioles Season

Pete Alonso’s first year with the Baltimore Orioles did not end with a postseason appearance, but it did end with recognition that his production was among the best in the American League.

Alonso was selected to The Sporting News’ 2026 AL All-Star Team after finishing the regular season with a .267 average, 43 home runs and 113 RBIs in 161 games. His .885 OPS ranked among the strongest marks in the league.

He also scored 100 runs, drew 81 walks and collected 161 hits. He led the Orioles in both bWAR and fWAR and ranked first among all MLB first basemen in fWAR. 

Alonso signed with the Orioles last December on a five-year, $155 million deal after spending the first seven seasons of his career with the New York Mets. The expectations were clear. Baltimore needed a proven slugger who could hit the ball out of the park and protect the young hitters around him.

Alonso delivered exactly that, and he did it while appearing in all 161 games, extending his consecutive games played streak to 577, the second-longest active streak in the majors behind Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braces.

He also became the first player in history to hit 40 or more home runs in his debut season in both the National and American Leagues, and just the ninth Oriole ever to reach 40 homers in a single season.

Alonso's best moment of his season came at Citi Field on September 15, when he hit his 300th career home run in the ninth inning against his former team, tying the game 3-3. He  received a standing ovation from the New York crowd in the series.

The team results were a different story. Baltimore finished 79-82 and fourth in the AL East, missing out on postseason baseball for a second straight season. They fell way below expectations. The Yankees and Red Sox also finished ahead of the Orioles. 

The Orioles have young talent at the core, but adding Alonso did not change how pitchers approached the entire order. He was the only player other teams had to account for and he had no protection.

Four years remain on his contract after 2026. The Orioles need build a capable roster around him to catch up to what he brings every night. His production gave them a foundation. The offseason work is figuring out how to build the rest of it.