Should the Orioles Be Worried About Pete Alonso's Slow Start?

The Baltimore Orioles are off to a 5-6 start entering Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox, but the power has been mostly non-existent. Top free agent signing Pete Alonso has not helped the cause, going deep just once so far this season. Should the Orioles be concerned about the 31-year-old?

Alonso has been a proven power threat throughout his seven-year MLB career, eclipsing 30 home runs every year with the exception of the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He's started this season 6-for-19, including his first home run in an Orioles' uniform in an 8-5 loss to the Texas Rangers on March 31. However, he has only two hits in his last 24 at-bats, with only one RBI.

Pete Alonso averaged 33 home runs a year with the Mets.

If he continues that with the Orioles, he’d be expected to hit 165 homers across his five-year contract.

One down, 164 to go. pic.twitter.com/6VG04w0K1D
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 31, 2026

It's easy for players to have slow starts, particularly those without many at-bats in the preseason. However, Alonso has typically dominated early in the season. Last April, he hit .358 with nine home runs and an OPS of 1.168. In 2024, Alonso was NL Player of the Week (April 8-14), going deep four times with seven RBI for the week.

Alonso has also struck out at a high clip, and is on pace for a career-high 191 strikeouts. On a positive note, Alonso's exit velocity and hard-hit ball rate rank him among the top ten percent in the league. Perhaps he's hit into hard luck, but failing to make contact at an alarming rate doesn't help matters.

One positive has been Alonso's play in the field. Often considered a liability at first base, Alonso has made just one error, and made a great diving play in the 9th inning against the White Sox with the tying run on base.

Pete Alonso might have just saved the game with this diving play at first base here in the 9th, taking a potential extra-base hit away from Colson Montgomery with the tying run on base.

🎥: @Orioles pic.twitter.com/tdWUdzTIhj
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) April 7, 2026

Fortunately for the Orioles, Gunnar Henderson has been providing power and is carrying the offense, already with four home runs and nine RBI. But it's been the pitching staff that has kept the Orioles afloat early on, sitting tied for second with the Tampa Bay Rays, 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East. They are tied for first in the league in saves with five and have a solid ERA of 4.11.

As for Alonso, he is slashing .186/.271/.279 over the first 11 games entering play on Wednesday. To put that in comparison to his career totals, Alonso has a career slash line of .252/.340/.513. He's on pace for just 15 home runs and 44 RBI.

The good news is that 11 games account for less than seven percent of the entire season. To put that in perspective, that amounts to one game in an NFL season. There is no need for the Orioles or their fans to panic this early. Alonso is a proven veteran still in the prime of his career, and should break out and show why the Orioles put out $155 million over five seasons to sign him.

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