Does the (home run) apple fall far from the tree? The New York Mets hope that’s the case with Daniel Alfonzo.
The Mets selected the star infielder of the Bayside High School baseball team — who also happens to be the son of Edgardo Alfonzo, one of the best hitting infielders the Mets ever produced — in the 38th round of this year’s MLB Draft.
In his eight years as a Met, the elder Alfonzo — nicknamed “Fonzie” by the Flushing faithful — played three different infield positions and excelled at the plate, hitting .292 and slugging 120 home runs. His two best offensive years came in 1999 and 2000, helping the Mets win the National League Pennant in the latter year. He’s now managing the Brooklyn Cyclones, which is part of the Mets’ minor league system.
Daniel Alfonzo, meanwhile, has enjoyed success of his own at Bayside, helping the team capture its first PSAL Championship in 2016 while playing third base and shortstop — two of his father’s former positions. Over 16 regular season games this year, he had 24 hits in 51 at-bats, including 3 home runs; he never hit lower than .471 in his four PSAL seasons.
According to the PSAL website, the younger Alfonzo was named Bayside’s MVP each of the last three seasons; he led the PSAL in home runs (8) in his sophomore year. He’s slated to attend Adelphi University in Garden City this fall.
“We’ve seen him quite a bit,” Tommy Tanous, vice president of amateur scouting, said in an MLB.com report. “He’s a really, really talented kid. He plays third base, can hit, can do a little bit of everything.”
Daniel Alfonzo isn’t the only baseball prodigy from Queens to get major league attention this year. Quentin Holmes of East Elmhurst, who attends Msgr. McClancy Memorial High School and is the team’s star centerfielder, was picked by the Cleveland Indians in the second round of this year’s draft. A second McClancy baseball star, pitcher Charlie Neuweiler, was selected in the fifth round by the Kansas City Royals.
