Chicago Cubs: The ultimate verdict
Despite Alonso’s record-setting rookie season, unbiasedly, I believe overall, Bryant still had a better rookie performance. His campaign ultimately helped the Cubs to a postseason berth and a run to the National League Championship Series.
The Mets did significantly improve with the help of Alonso. They made a run at the wild card and finished ten games north of the .500 mark, a step up from their 77 win season the year before. In the end, however, it just was not enough.
It could be a difficult task in projecting out the future of each player, but I believe in the end, Bryant will have had the better career. Bryant bounced back in 2019 after a disastrous 2018 season, and Steamer projects Bryant at .273/.376/.507 with 31 home runs and 91 RBI for 2020. Alonso is projected at .251/.342/.531 with 41 home runs and 98 RBI. It will be a fun thing to watch over the next decade.