CHICAGO — Francisco Lindor has seen enough balls jump off Pete Alonso’s bat recently to offer a bold prediction on the heights the slugging first baseman might reach, either this season or beyond.
“I truly believe he can hit 60 homers,” Lindor told The Post before the Mets faced the Cubs on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. “This year, or at some point in his career I think he will.”
Alonso entered play leading the major leagues with 18 homers in 49 games, which put him on pace for 60 this season.
Alonso’s career high is 53 homers, which set an MLB rookie record in 2019.
Told of Lindor’s prediction, Alonso agreed it’s something he could envision.
“I feel really good and hopefully I continue to play well for the team and if I play well and stay consistent, that could happen,” Alonso said. “It would be really cool if it happened.”
Alonso homered on Tuesday — his fifth in seven games.
Pete Alonso hits a game-tying grand slam against the Guardians.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConIt put him in position to challenge Dave Kingman’s club record as the fastest player to 20 homers in a season.
Kingman needed only 51 games in 1976 to reach the plateau.
Last season, Aaron Judge became the first non-steroid era player since Roger Maris to surpass 60 home runs in a season, setting an American League record with 62 homers.
Lindor sees many of the same attributes in Alonso.
Pete Alonso celebrates his home run against the Cubs with Mark Veintos on Tuesday.AP“Pete is one of the best pure power hitters in the game,” Lindor said. “He’s not trying to hit home runs. He doesn’t have to sacrifice an at-bat to hit a home run.”
Alonso credits his plate discipline as a significant component of his success.
“Just really understanding what I can and can’t handle,” he said. “I feel like I am doing a really good job of capitalizing on stuff in my zone and then if it’s not there, not swinging or just having a good at-bat.”
Last season, Alonso hit 40 homers to become the first player in Mets history to reach that plateau twice.
“Every season is its own entity, but I do feel really good right now, so I just need to stay right here where I’m at and just try to stack as many good at-bats together as possible,” Alonso said.
No ballpark has been as hospitable to Alonso as Wrigley Field, where he had homered seven times in 12 career games entering play Wednesday.
“I just think it’s a great place to play — a lot of history here for me. As a fan of the game I think it’s a cool place to play,” he said. “A lot of history and it’s an honor to be here.”
Manager Buck Showalter said Alonso’s consistency — avoiding prolonged home-run droughts to this point — might be the best sign.
Pete Alonso drives in a run against the Cubs on Tuesday.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con “He doesn’t let one day take him down a bad road,” Showalter said. “It was obvious his first day of spring he came in with a purpose, from the things he did in the offseason — he’s moving around better at first base — and he feels good about where he is. He’s been a big reason we’re still engaged.”
