What a season it was for Mets rookie slugger Pete Alonso. He won the NL Rookie of the Year Monday night, capping a truly amazing debut campaign. 

"The only thing I can truly say is I'm living in a fantasy," Alonso said. "It's been so special. It's all been incredible. I just feel so blessed."

That's what he told me about his 2019 ... back during the All-Star break. What came after that quote about Alonso living in a fantasy: 

  • Home Run Derby championship
  • Mets franchise home run record
  • Rookie record for home runs
  • MLB home run champion
  • NL Rookie of the Year

Decent first go-round in the bigs, huh? 

Alonso got some more screen time after winning RoY honors on Monday. Shortly after the announcement, MLB released a new commercial starring the Mets first baseman. It's pretty remarkable: 

That school paper touch is perfect. He got a C and was told to be more realistic after saying he wanted to play in the majors. Which, yes, the odds of any individual growing up to become a major-league baseball player are pretty slim, but those who dare to dream like Alonso work out every once in a while. He has made it in a big way. 

He even reached out to the University of Florida in an effort to get a revised grade: 

Alonso just played in 161 games as a rookie, slashing .260/.358/.583 (148 OPS+) with 30 doubles, 53 homers, 120 RBI, 103 runs and 5.0 WAR. We saw all his records above. He actually came close to the Mets record for RBI, trailing only David Wright (124 in 2008) and Mike Piazza (124 in 1999). Alonso will now head to 2020 as a centerpiece of a New York City franchise. 

I'd say he's living the good life, all right.