Elias on Alonso joining Orioles: ‘We have arguably the best batting lineup in Major League Baseball right now’

BALTIMORE—The Orioles rarely hold press conferences to celebrate their new acquisitions. Pete Alonso is different, and that called for something special.

Just before Alonso, president of baseball operations Mike Elias, owner David Rubenstein and agent Scott Boras arrived on Friday, Elias’ executive assistant, Tina Mazor, rushed into the room with a huge stuffed polar bear that sat next to Rubenstein for the 45-minute event.

Elias gushed about the Orioles’ new acquisition: “Pete Alonso has been one of the elite sluggers in all of Major League Baseball really since debuting in 2019,” he said.

“I think he hit [53] home runs in his debut and since then he’s been one of the most consistent, prolific and durable players in our sport … And the consistency that he’s demonstrated, the passion to play, the care that he has for his teammates and for wins and losses is something that’s really hard to come by. So when we had an opportunity to engage with him and pursue him this winter, as we were looking for a guy to galvanize the young talent that we have in our batting lineup and also in our clubhouse, he’s right at the top of the list.

“So I’m extremely pleased that we’re welcoming him to the organization today. I think that it’s going to be a tremendous era and he’s going to have some very magical moments here at the ballpark. And I think when we hit Pete in the middle of the lineup that we have, we have arguably the best batting lineup in Major League Baseball right now. And our plan for the rest of this offseason is to continue to augment the team so these guys can make another run at the American League East and we can get back to where we belong.”

It was a positive day for the Orioles, and Alonso made a wonderful first impression, talking about playing first base for the Orioles.

“I’m a worker. It doesn’t matter,” he said. “That’s one of the things I pride myself in. That’s why I’m able to play every day, and I think for me, I like diving into the work and having the desire to get better and be the best. And pretty much for me, I hate not knowing what my ceiling is and that’s why I work.

“I want to be the best I possibly can be and I want to be the best. So, I’m always going to work. I’m always going to strive to be the best, make adjustments, adapt and do what I can to really deliver on a daily basis.

“I think defense, and whether it be defense, baserunning, there’s so many different ways to win a ballgame. And I know everyone, yeah, when you think of me, you think of me hitting. But for me, I really take pride in doing the little things to win a game, whether it be going from first to third, whether it be advancing on a kind of an in-between read from second to third to get to third base with less than two outs, or getting to second where it’s kind of one of those hustle-double situations.

“But there’s so many different ways to win a game and defense is one of those, whether it be making a pick, making a play in the hole, giving a good feed. I just want to play my part. I want to play my part the best I possibly can for the whole picture, because it takes not just nine guys … it takes so many different people to win a ballgame, and I just want to be the best I can every single day.”

Early in the press conference, Rubenstein told the story of the Orioles acquiring Frank Robinson 60 years ago and him leading the team to its first World Series win. Rubenstein reminded everyone that both Robinson and Alonso had worn number 20. (Alonso will wear number 25 for the Orioles, selecting it because his son was born in 2025.)

“That’s really high praise,” Alonso said about the reference to Robinson. “I appreciate that. And, again, I also want to thank you as well, Mr. Rubenstein for bringing me on, trusting me with the development of young guys and not just being a leader, but winning games and performing, so I appreciate that.

“To answer your question, for me, I’ve always loved coming here. It’s a beautiful park. I mean, I love playing here. To my extent I just know kind of like the waterfront where we stayed and a couple of restaurants around town and here in downtown, but every time that we’ve come here, and I’ve played at Camden, I’ve really enjoyed myself. It’s a phenomenal baseball environment, and it’s a tremendously gorgeous park.

“I love playing here and getting involved in the community and kind of like immersing not just myself, but my wife, my son and our extended family. When we’re here, this going to be home, and for us, we’re incredibly grateful and we’re going to really take pride in calling Baltimore home the city and this team. They believe in us, and we want to do right and really just justify and really do that by immersing ourselves, giving back to the community and at the end of the day, playing ballgames between the lines.”

In case you didn’t know the reason for the stuffed polar bear, Alonso got that nickname in 2019.

“Todd Frazier in 2019, he was my lockermate, he was joking around,” Alonso said. “He said, ‘You look like a big ‘ol polar bear.’ That’s Todd Frazier, very loudmouth guy from Jersey. He was my veteran, and I learned a lot from him. He’s one of those guys that took me under his wing. I love the nickname. I think it’s great. Todd, appreciate you forever. And, yeah, embrace it, for sure.”

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.