Baltimore Orioles’ Pete Alonso Could Earn First Career MVP Award in 2026

When the Baltimore Orioles handed Pete Alonso a five-year, $155 million dollar contract in free agency, they understood what type of player they'd be getting. 

Alonso (31), was one of the greatest players in the New York Mets franchise history. The slugger has 264 home-runs in his Mets career, the most in franchise history. When New York let Alonso walk, many considered it to be a vast mistake. 

One mans trash is another mans treasure, and Baltimore was able to pick up one of the BEST bats not just on the open market, but in the entire league. 

With a change of scenery and a strong start to spring training, I believe that Pete Alonso will compete with players like Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr. and teammate Gunnar Henderson for an MVP award this season. 

Alonso is widely considered to be one of the best sluggers in all of baseball, as his .516 SLG% since the start of 2019 is 12th best in the league. His SLG% since 2019 is better than future Hall of Famers  Jose Ramirez, Mookie Betts, Kyle Schwarber, Matt Olson and others. 

Additionally, Alonso's 712 RBI's since the start of 2019 is first in the MLB, with Atlanta Braves first baseman being a distant second with 679 RBI's in that time. The Polar Bear is clutch, and playing alongside guys like Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Adley Rutschman and others will only increase that RBI number over the next handful of seasons. 

Since Alonso's MLB debut in 2019, he ranks 10th in HardHit balls with 1,287, and third in barreled balls with 418, which is more than Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuna Jr. and other MVP candidates. 

Alonso can hit with the best of them, and that's why Baltimore felt comfortable handing him a $155 million dollar contract. 

However, the greatest ability in baseball is availability and Alonso is a textbook example of a player who is ALWAYS available. Since coming into the league, Alonso has played the MOST games out of ANY player in baseball with 1,008. Additionally, Alonso has played 162 games in back-to-back seasons for New York, and could very well continue that trend of availability in Baltimore. 

Baltimore fans have already gotten a taste of what Alonso can do. In 23 plate appearances in spring training, Alonso has a .238/.304/.524 slash-line with two home-runs and three RBI's. 

If Alonso can stay healthy and continue to produce at a high level (like he has in spring training), then there's no reason as to why he can't compete with Aaron Judge and others for an MVP award in 2026.