Alonso’s Shadow Will Hover Over Mets Until……..

Through no fault of his own, Jorge Polanco will be under an inordinate amount of pressure because of who he will be replacing at first base.

There are a number of Met fans who have already moved on from Pete Alonso but there are also a number of Met fans who have not yet moved on from the franchise's all time home run leader.

There is already an enormous amount of pressure on a new player who comes to New York for the first time, but Polanco will be getting an increased dose of that pressure because you can bet some Met fans will be measuring him up against the former Met fan favorite.

Fans will be keeping a watchful eye on what Alonso is doing in Baltimore and if he’s living up to his standards or exceeding them, they’ll be expecting Polanco to be, at the very least, a productive player.

Polanco may want to consult Tino Martinez, who went through a similar situation when he was acquired by the Yankees.

Martinez also replaced a homegrown and fan favorite at first base when he was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners to supplant Don Mattingly.

One difference in the two scenarios is that Mattingly left on his own accord. The popular Yankee’s back troubles became too much for him to continue playing after the 1995 season, but that didn’t lessen the pressure on Martinez who felt the wrath of the fans in the early weeks of the 1996 season.

Another difference is Martinez was already established as a defensive first baseman. Polanco has a lot to learn about manning the position and will be put in a tough spot because he’ll be learning on the job.

Martinez began his Yankee career in a 3 for 34 (.088) stretch over his first nine games and did not hit a home run until his 18th game as he began to hear some boos. The Yankees were not playing poorly (13-10 in April) but Martinez was still feeling the pressure of being the next first baseman after Mattingly.

The fans’ frustration was growing until May 1st when Martinez hit a 15th inning grand slam at Camden Yards to lift the Yankees to a pivotal win over the Baltimore Orioles, a key rival in the AL East that season. That hit seemed to alleviate some pressure on Martinez who started to win over the fan base and became a more productive player.

The Mets will try to protect Polanco by giving him time at DH, but there are a number of adjustments he’ll have to make at what is essentially a brand new position for him.

Those adjustments include handling pick off throws from the pitcher, knowing how far he can range off the first base bag on ground balls in the hole between first and second and of course, the 3-1 play.

Alonso was not as bad a defender at first base as he was portrayed to be but he did have some trouble with the 3-1 play. That’s not an easy play for a first baseman (especially one who’s inexperienced) who has to make a throw to a pitcher who’s on the move while he covers the bag for the putout.

Receiving pick off throws from the pitcher will be a whole new experience for Polanco who did not have to deal with that at third base. Footwork around the bag will be important.

Polanco will have Marcus Semien at second base which could help with those in-between ground balls. At 35 years old, you have to figure Semien has lost a little bit of range but the two players will still need some time to get used to each other.

There are a number of factors that could work in a positive vein for Polanco.

A good start for Polanco would be huge for the veteran switch-hitter.

If rookie Carson Benge can live up to the billing and make an impact, the fans will gravitate towards him as their next homegrown favorite and that would lessen the pressure on Polanco.

Devin Williams will be going through a similar situation. Williams has already beared the brunt of the New York fans but that doesn't mean it will be any easier if he struggles as the Mets closer replacing Edwin Diaz.

Of course, winning cures all ills. If the Mets are winning, that will be the elixir to ease the pressure on a team that underachieved last season.