Orioles' Pete Alonso earns All-MLB First Team honor
The 31-year-old first baseman led the American League in home runs and RBIs during a 79-82 campaign for Baltimore.
By Lucia Herrera ·
Pete Alonso became the only member of the Baltimore Orioles to appear on a Major League Baseball all-pro squad on Wednesday night. The 31-year-old first baseman was selected for the 2026 All-MLB First Team, a distinction that recognizes individual excellence across both leagues. The award is the league's standard for identifying the top performers in a given season. Alonso was the sole representative from Baltimore on either the first or second team.
MLB announced the selections during its awards ceremony in Las Vegas. The voting process combined fan input with a panel of media members, broadcasters, and former players. According to Yahoo Sports, both groups contributed equally to the final decision. This marks the eighth year of the award's existence. Boston's Willson Contreras received the Second Team nod at the same position.
Alonso delivered a historic statistical season in his first year as an Oriole. He played in all 161 games for the team, a total that reflects a season shortened by a weather-related cancellation of the final game. He led the American League in both home runs and runs batted in. His 113 RBIs represent the highest total for an Oriole since Chris Davis recorded 117 in 2015. Additionally, his 43 home runs tie Rafael Palmeiro for the eighth-most in franchise history, according to BaltimoreBaseball.com.
The performance also included career-best defensive and on-base metrics. Alonso posted a .363 on-base percentage, the highest of his professional career. He committed only four errors, a personal low. He signed with Baltimore in December for a five-year contract worth $155 million. The deal is set to run through the 2030 season. In his first year under that agreement, he was unanimously selected as the team's Most Valuable Oriole.
This is Alonso's second selection to the All-MLB First Team. He earned the honor in 2019, the inaugural year of the award, after hitting 53 home runs as a rookie for the New York Mets. He spent his first seven major league seasons with New York, where he became the career home run leader. He now has more than 300 career home runs. Speaking late in the 2026 season, Alonso told MLB.com, "I really take pride in wanting to win and giving it all I have."
The individual accolade stands in contrast to the team's overall result. The Orioles finished with a 79-82 record and missed the postseason. After leading the league standings late in August, the team lost six consecutive games in September to end its playoff hopes. Alonso described that finish as unacceptable in comments to BaltimoreBaseball.com. The team's front office now faces decisions on pitching and roster depth as it prepares for the next season.
Alonso remains a contender for other individual honors. He is a finalist for the American League Silver Slugger Award at first base. The winners of that award are scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to Yahoo Sports. He was also the Orioles' nominee for MLB's Heart and Hustle Award and the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes community service.
Several players from the Orioles' divisional rivals also made the First Team. Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees, and Dylan Cease and Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays were all selected. The full First Team also included Gabriel Moreno, Brice Turang, Bobby Witt Jr., Jackson Chourio, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Fernando Tatis Jr., Yordan Alvarez, Jacob Misiorowski, Chris Sale, Cristopher Sánchez, and Mason Miller.
