Mets place top prospect on MLB roster despite service time considerations

The New York Mets have insisted they are committed to doing everything they can to win games in 2019, and they took another step toward convincing fans of that in advance of Opening Day.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports that Pete Alonso, the top prospect in the Mets’ system, has made the Opening Day roster. The power-hitting first baseman was the team’s second-round draft pick in 2016 and had a great season in the minors last year, but the Mets left him disappointed when they decided not to call him up late in the year.

If the Mets had chosen to leave Alonso in the minors for roughly the first two weeks of the MLB season, they would have been able to gain an extra year of team control over him. However, new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said earlier this spring that Alonso would not be sent to the minors if he showed enough to earn a spot on the big league roster.

Alonso hit .352 with four home runs, 10 total extra-base hits and a 1.006 OPS in 22 Grapefruit League games this spring. He belted 36 homers and batted .285 in the minors in 2018.

We have already seen one MLB team accused of abusing the league’s service time rules in advance of Opening Day, so kudos to the Mets for not doing the same. Between starting Alonso on the MLB roster and signing Jacob deGrom to a long-term extension, they are making fans happy before the new season begins.