Pete Alonso is providing the Orioles with something nobody expected

In a season that's delivered its share of disappointments during the first few weeks, one of the most surprising bright spots on the Baltimore Orioles roster has been Pete Alonso. Not so much his bat, but his glove.

Alonso's bat has gotten off to a slow start, but he has made up for that — at least in small part ± by playing better defense than anyone could've imagined.

The eye test has not been pretty on every single rep, but Alonso has made a multitude of diving stops to both his left and his right. Despite the consistent reminders from Mets fans about how he tried to kill Kodai Senga with his inaccurate throws to first, his throws and tosses over to the pitchers covering the bag have been accurate.

Defensive stats can be a bit finicky, but they don't typically reward bad defense. Just a few weeks into the season, Alonso has 3 defensive runs saved (DRS), which is fourth-best in the league. He's already amassed 1 Out Above Average (OAA), and though it may not sound like much, last season he registered -9 OAA.

Pete Alonso's defense makes his Orioles' contract more palatable

This defensive leap has saved the Orioles at least one game, and his defensive improvements could change the trajectory of how his contract is viewed.

Anytime a large contract is signed, there's an expectation that the last few years of the contract will be "underwater". In other words, the player will not play at the level that the contract suggests he should. The idea with Alonso was that his bat would be good enough that Baltimore could turn a blind eye to the anticipated blunders at first base.

Instead of the bat having to make up for blunders at first base, it's complementing a good glove at first base.

Alonso is going to heat up at the plate. He should experience an uptick in production in the coming months and be closer to the hitter he was in New York. When that happens, the fact that his glove is much improved from his Mets days is going to make him a much more impactful overall player.

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