Padres hurler Chris Paddack is looking forward to his first meeting with New York Mets rookie sensation Pete Alonso.
New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso has taken the National League by storm. The hard-hitting righty is in the early running for NL Rookie of the Year honors. He won Rookie of the Month honors in April, but Chris Paddack of the San Diego Padres doesn’t plan to back down from Alonso.
“He’s a great player, no doubt,” Paddack told Dennis Lin of The Athletic. “Does he deserve (the Rookie of the Month honor)? Absolutely. But I’m coming for him. We’ll see Monday who the top dog is. That’s something I’m looking forward to, for sure. And I’m not saying that in a cocky way. I’m saying that because I know what I want, just like I’m sure he knows what he wants. It’ll be a fun little matchup.
“Do I wish it was me? Yeah. But the way I look at it is, do you want to be Rookie of the Month or Rookie of the Year? We’ll see, man. We’ve got a long season and I’m looking forward to Monday, competing against him.”
Paddack and Alonso will meet for the first time on Monday night when the Mets take on the Padres in San Diego. Through six starts, Paddack has a 1.91 ERA and 35 strikeouts in just 33 innings.
Alonso has been just as impressive, racking up 10 home runs, 27 RBI, and posting a slash line of .280/.364/.600. After a scorching hot start, Alonso has come back down to earth. Over his last 22 games, Alonso is only slashing .225/.315/.425.
Despite his regression to the mean, Alonso’s showdown with Paddack is appointment television. Both players should be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors barring injuries. Paddack will also duel with reigning NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom.
