4 major hurdles Pete Alonso faces in free agency ft. contracts of Kyle Schwarber, Christian Walker, Teoscar Hernandez

Being one of the most feared power hitters of the game in the past few years, Pete Alonso was expected to be one of the most coveted free agents of this offseason. However, it hasn't panned out that way, as the four-time All-Star has generated little interest, owing largely to his demand for an annual salary of over $30 million.

On Monday, MLB Network host Brian Kenny pointed out four obstacles that are preventing teams from making an offer to Pete Alonso. He also compared the first baseman with Kyle Schwarber, Christian Walker and Teoscar Hernandez for their similar profiles as well as offensive production.

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Four major hurdles Pete Alonso faces in free agency

1) Very productive but not great

Pete Alonso ranks second for home runs in the major leagues since 2019, while he takes the top spot for RBIs, proving that he's one of the elite power hitters of the game. Yet he also ranks in 15th spot for OPS+ among batters with more than 2,000 plate appearances in that period and 14th for runs created, which shows that he's not the best in terms of making the most out of his opportunities.

Meanwhile, he lies outside the top 30 in bWAR, which also indicates a lack of overall value to the team.

2) On a decline

In 2019, Pete Alonso slugged .583 and hit 53 home runs to win the National League Rookie of the Year. But he hasn't reach those benchmarks since then. Moreover, Alonso has a .499 slugging percentage over the last four seasons and is averaging 39 home runs with an OPS+ of 131.

Alonso has not managed to match the highs of record-breaking rookie campaign (Image Source: IMAGN)

3) Erratic offensive production

Even though Pete Alonso is a fearsome slugger, he's not very consistent at the plate and had an almost 25% strikeout rate last year. According to Statcast, Alonso lies in the 98th percentile for maximum exit velocity, yet he's in the 62nd percentile for overall exit velocity. showing that he's nowhere close to the top in barreling the ball consistently.

Moreover, his batting average lies under .250 over his six-year career, and the on-base percentage is also a tick below .340.

4) Imbalance in market value

Brian Kenny listed Kyle Schwarber, Christian Walker and Teoscar Hernandez as appropriate market value comparions for Pete Alonso. All four sluggers are in the 30-34 age bracket, with an OPS+ ranging between 115-135, and have more than 300 runs created over the last four seasons.

Schwarber, Walker and Hernandez all have a salary of around $20 million per year. Kenny said that Alonso may deserve a little bit more being the youngest of this quartet, but teams are unlikely to offer him the mega-contract that he desires.