There's a Polar Bear in Baltimore

As first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan and confirmed by Roch Kubatko and others, there’s a Polar Bear coming to Baltimore. 

What exactly does Pete Alonso bring to the table?

Most evidently, pop. Alonso is one of the best power bats that the game has to offer. Since entering the league in 2019, a season in which he led all of baseball with 53 longballs, Alonso has the third-most home runs of any player, trailing only Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber, and the most runs driven in with 712. 

He’s not just a power hitter, either. Last season, his .272 batting average was 16th-best in the National League, and his .347 on-base percentage was 21st. While he did strike out 162 times, his 22.8 percent strikeout rate was only slightly below league average.

While that batting average was 20 points higher than his career average, his underlying metrics would suggest that it was no fluke. 

Last season, Alonso was in the 85th percentile or better in the following categories, according to Statcast: expected weighted on-base average, expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, average exit velocity, barrel rate, hard-hit rate, launch angle sweet spot rate and bat speed. 

Essentially, very frequently, he hit the ball really hard. 

A deeper dive into Alonso’s splits shows areas of strength where the Orioles could really use it, too. 

In his career against left-handed pitchers, Alonso has an .835 OPS with 75 home runs. Last season against lefties, the Orioles had a .661 OPS. With his team trailing, Alonso has an .851 OPS compared to the ‘25 O’s at a .656. And with runners in scoring position, Alonso boasts a .933 OPS with 440 runs driven in. Baltimore had a .716 OPS with runners in scoring position last year. 

Alonso does much of his damage against fastballs. Last season, the Polar Bear hit .307 against heaters, pitches that accounted for 29 of his 38 longballs. That was good for a whopping .622 slugging percentage. 

And for those with questions about what the power production will look like with Camden Yards’ left field, Statcast projects that there would have been seven more Alonso longballs at OPACY last season. 

Less flashy than the power numbers, though, is a notable trait that Baltimore desperately needs: reliability. Since 2019, Alonso is the only player in baseball to eclipse 1,000 games played. The first baseman appeared in all 162 each of the last two seasons, and has played at least 150 games every year of his career, aside from the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Last season, the O’s had just two players appear in over 100 games. 

Sixteen games of postseason experience don't hurt either, especially when those 16 games include five home runs and an OPS over 1.000. 

Of course, a signing like this is made for the bat. Alonso is a well below average fielder and baserunner, and could see some time at designated hitter along with first base. But with a hitter of his caliber, you figure out the defense. 

The Orioles didn’t necessarily have a “need” at first base with Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle and Samuel Basallo. Now, with an addition bound to appear in at least 150 games, there’s a logjam. Get the great player and figure it out later. 

Between Alonso and Taylor Ward, a Baltimore lineup that didn’t see a player hit more than 17 home runs in 2025 just added two players that combined for 74 to the middle of the order. That changes your outlook in a hurry. 

Orioles fans were waiting for a splash. A Polar Bear makes a big one.