Alonso: "There’s a lot of young talent, and I feel like I can help this team achieve greatness”

A large stuffed polar bear sat at the end of a long table earlier today for Pete Alonso’s introductory press conference as the Orioles’ new first baseman. The player who inspired its arrival for an event that more prominently featured the control owner, president of baseball operations and the agent who brokered the deal was struggling to button his No. 25 white jersey.

“This is harder than hitting,” he quipped.

The Orioles didn’t invest $155 million over five years for Alonso to dress quickly.

One of the biggest moments in franchise history, with multiple billboards along I-95 celebrating his arrival, delivered a five-time All-Star, a great deal of optimism and some laughs. 

New manager Craig Albernaz and bench coach Donnie Ecker sat in the front row. Mike Elias referred to it as “a very momentous and historic day for the Orioles franchise.”

They backed up the talk of having deep pockets and no constraints. They couldn’t contain their excitement. They had no reason to try.

“Pete Alonso has been one of the elite sluggers in all of Major League Baseball, really since debuting in 2019,” Elias said. “I think he hit (53) home runs in his debut and since then he’s been one of the most consistent, prolific and durable players in our sport since that time. And the consistency that he’s demonstrated, the passion to play, the care that he has for his teammates and for wins and losses is something that’s really hard to come by. So when we had an opportunity to engage with him and pursue him this winter, as we were looking for a guy to galvanize the young talent that we have in our batting lineup and also in our clubhouse, he’s right at the top of the list.

“I think that it’s gonna be a tremendous era and he’s gonna have some very magical moments here at the ballpark. And I think when we hit Pete in the middle of the lineup that we have, we have arguably the best batting lineup in Major League Baseball right now. And our plan for the rest of this offseason is to continue to augment the team so these guys can make another run at the American League East and we can get back to where we belong. Just a tremendous day and addition for us. Really excited to watch him play and see him in Sarasota and ingratiate into the organization over the next couple weeks.

“I know he’s going to really be excited to join this community here. He’s somebody that’s demonstrated a lot of passion toward getting out in the community, wherever he's been, wherever he’s played, and he and his wife (Haley) are very much looking forward to calling Baltimore home going forward.”

Alonso drove from his Tampa home to the Winter Meetings in Orlando to hear the team’s sales pitch, delayed until Tuesday due to travel issues. It was every bit as visual and it blew him away.

“To be honest, I was impressed with just, like, the sheer detail and just pretty much laying everything out there, whether it be from, not just, like, the talent they have, but they gave a ton of examples where they said, ‘Hey, with your contribution, this is what we look like.’ It was very detailed,” Alonso said. “And also, too, they did a deep dive on the renovations that are not just going to be going in at the park, but are going on at the spring training complex in Sarasota.

“And then, most importantly, I think the biggest thing is just, like, how they see the game and how they see the future moving forward. It was the entire blueprint. I mean, just their passion for winning and also their vision, and pretty much what they told me was, ‘Hey, this is where we see you and how we’re gonna get there. You’re gonna be a big part in winning a championship here.’ To me as a player, that’s not just, like, them saying that, them pretty much giving me the entire blueprint of the organization is extremely refreshing.

“As we talked and not just went through things in minutia, the organization and stuff like that, just getting to know them as men and people, it really gave me a good insight on what my days are going to be like every day inside the clubhouse and what this culture’s going to be like. There’s a lot of talent, there’s a lot of young talent, and I feel like I can help this team achieve greatness.”

Elias flexed his financial muscle, much more easily done with hands untied.

Why now?

“I think there’s a lot of factors in this being the right moment,” he replied. “First of all, it’s the right player. First and foremost. We’re really looking to taking our lineup over the top with a middle-of-the-order bat, an impact hitter and a right-handed one, to boot, which is very rare right now to have his kind of power and production, consistency from the right side of the plate in this game. But also, we have the talent base as evidenced by the way this team has played over the last four years, and we’ve got a tremendous core to build around, but we finally have so many pieces in place, from the ownership group on down, to grow this franchise and invest in players, but also facilities, the business part of our operation, the ballpark.

“Everything that we’re doing, we have David (Rubenstein) and the rest of the group to thank. And I think we have a whole new era in front of us, and signing Pete is a big part of that. But also a big symbol of where we think we’re going. So a lot to look forward to, and the 2026 team and season is just a small part of that.”

Alonso couldn’t wear his familiar No. 20 because the Orioles retired it for Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, a name that Rubenstein brought up to emphasize the importance of this signing.

“I’m older than everybody in this room, I think, so I have a memory that, probably, none of you probably have,” he said. “When I was in high school in Baltimore in 1966, the Orioles brought onto the team a young 30-year-old player who was going to meld with the young players that the team already had, like Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, and that player’s name was Frank Robinson, and the result was we won a World Series that year. We beat a team called the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were thought to be unbeatable.

“Frank Robinson’s number when he played in Cincinnati was 20. Pete Alonso’s number in New York was 20. Because our 20 is retired here, he’s agreed to play with 25, but the fact that both of them had the number 20, both of them in their early 30s, both of them are great power hitters, and both of them are people that really can work with younger players, makes us think we have a great future ahead of us.

“I want to thank Pete for doing this, thank Scott (Boras) for helping to make it possible, thank Mike for working on it. And the best days are ahead of us. So we’re very, very happy. The ownership group could not be more pleased with this, and you know, we’ll do whatever else we need to do to make sure this team can win a championship, and we’re very optimistic that Pete’s addition is going to be as helpful to us as Frank Robinson’s was in 1966.”

Alonso soaked it all in, smiled and said, “That’s really high praise. I appreciate that.”

Rubenstein also talked about a level of enthusiasm generated from acquiring Alonso that he hasn’t witnessed since purchasing the team from the Angelos family. Just to put it in perspective.

“When Mike Arougheti and I led the effort to buy the Orioles, we got a lot of favorable emails from friends and so forth, but did not get as many favorable emails as I got from this particular contract signing,” he said. “I’ve gotten hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of emails from people telling me how great this is. It is great. I can’t exaggerate the excitement in Baltimore for this. People I didn’t even remember from sixth grade are sending me emails saying, ‘Hey, great thing, when can I get some tickets?’

“I’m really happy for Baltimore. I’m really happy for Pete and his family. And I think it’s going to be a great season for the Orioles and the best days are surely ahead of us.”

Alonso played in 10 games at Camden Yards and had three doubles and five home runs. Seems about right.

“I’ve always loved coming here,” he said. “It’s a beautiful park. I mean, I love playing here. To my extent, I just know kind of, like, the waterfront where we stayed and a couple of restaurants around town and here in downtown, but every time that we’ve come here and I’ve played at Camden, I’ve really enjoyed myself. It’s a phenomenal baseball environment and it’s a tremendously gorgeous park.

“I love playing here and getting involved in the community and kind of like immersing not just myself, but my wife, my son and our extended family. When we’re here, this is going to be home, and for us, we’re incredibly grateful and we’re going to really take pride in calling Baltimore home. This city and this team, they believe in us and we want to do right and really just justify and really do that by immersing ourselves, giving back to the community, and at the end of the day, winning ballgames between the lines.”

A few other nuggets from a presser that lasted about 46 minutes:

* Boras said he heard from clients Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday after Alonso agreed to terms.

“The light that it shines on how the players in that locker room feel about the commitment to how they can compete in, really, one of the toughest divisions in baseball, that comes organically,” he said. “The minute it’s done, it has that immediate impact, the excitement. I wish you all could hear it, because it’s meaningful. It gives them a sense of pride and confidence that illustrates that this franchise is committed. And I thank you, David, for bringing that to players, because in the player community, that’s what gives these men the confidence to go out and do what they need to do in one of the toughest divisions and play against the greats of the game.”

* Albernaz was part of the meeting in Orlando and impressed Boras.

“He did a remarkable job of making someone in a room understand how that would be if he played here. That’s a very hard thing to do in an hour,” Boras said.

“After that meeting, I pulled Mike aside and I said, ‘Something happened here.’ I’ve been in many of these meetings. Something happened here, where I felt the player and the organization felt something beyond, where you can have execution, you can have greatness unfold.”

Albernaz told the media that he was just being himself.

"I just wanted to put myself out there, put our best foot forward as far as what the team and the organization stand for," he said.

* Alonso spoke to Buck Showalter, his manager for two seasons with the Mets, about coming to Baltimore.

“He had nothing but beautiful things to say,” Alonso said. “Not just about fan base, just this whole area, and he was very, very, just … Buck is always funny. He always has his -isms, and he just said that this is a no-doubt, just hands-down baseball environment. Everything is focused on what's between the lines. 

“He's like, ‘Camden is a phenomenal place. It's just one of those iconic parks you're going to enjoy playing in every single day.’ And he's like, ‘Listen, Pete, you're going to absolutely crush this place.’ And then he was like, ‘Pete, God bless. God bless.’ But Buck is one of my all-time favorites and he had nothing but beautiful things to say.” 

* Yes, former Mets teammate Todd Frazier gave Alonso the “Polar Bear” nickname in 2019. He's had to tell the story many times.

“Polar bears in their natural habitat, I think, the only known species to actively hunt humans, so they're kind of badass,” Alonso said, drawing more laughs.

Frazier told Alonso that he looked like a “big ‘ol polar bear" and the rest his history.

“That's Todd Frazier, very loudmouth guy from Jersey,” Alonso said. “He was my veteran, and I learned a lot from him. He's one of those guys that took me under his wing. I love the nickname. I think it's great. Todd, appreciate you forever. And, yeah, embrace it, for sure.”