51s’ Peter Alonso becomes 1st minor leaguer to reach 100 RBIs
Las Vegas first baseman Peter Alonso became the first minor leaguer to reach the 100 RBI mark this week.
He did that across two levels, with 52 in Double-A Binghamton before a June promotion to Triple-A, where he currently has 51 RBIs heading into Sunday’s play.
“Coming up to Triple-A, all the expectations, he kind of felt a little pressure,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said earlier in the week. “I think once he figured out how pitchers in Triple-A use offspeed, he started commanding the strike zone a lot better and he can do a lot of damage when he swings at good pitches.”
Alonso has driven in more than one run per game since arriving in Las Vegas (51 in 45 games).
“Everything else is gravy,” he tweeted with a pair of emojis, including a chef, while quote tweeting an article about how he had reached the mark.
Per Newsday, Mets manager Mickey Callaway recently told reporters that he’d like to see Alonso with the Mets in September.
Assistant general manager John Ricco previously told reporters that the Mets want to leave Alonso in Las Vegas through the end of the minor league season, which wraps up in early September.
Rosters expand on Sept. 1 and Alonso would need to be added to the 40-man roster.
Wait on major league partner continues
The 51s have been waiting quite some time to find out who their next partner might be.
That news could now be a little more than a month away as major league and minor league teams can communicate to find a deal from Sept. 16- Sept. 30.
Per Ballpark Digest, only six teams who do not have an ownership stake in their affiliate remain unsigned, though just three appear to be options for Las Vegas: the Athletics, Brewers and Nationals.
The Astros, Rangers and Mariners also do not yet have a player development contract in place, though the expectation is the Astros move from Fresno, California, to Round Rock, Texas, the Rangers move from Round Rock to San Antonio and the Mariners re-up with the nearby Tacoma Rainiers.
P.J. Conlon rejoins rotation
P.J. Conlon will make his first start on Monday since coming off the disabled list.
Conlon went on the disabled list July 29 with what manager Tony DeFrancesco said was a case of dead arm.
He was activated Aug. 6 and was eased back with a scoreless relief inning that day and on Aug. 9.
Upcoming at the Park
The 51s will be on a seven-game road trip to Fresno, California, and El Paso, Texas, before returning home Aug. 21 for three-games against Salt Lake.
Eleven of their next 14 games will be on the road.
After Sunday, the 51s have 10 games remaining at Cashman Field before they head across town to Summerlin next season.
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Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.