Mets star Pete Alonso has 'pretty bad PTSD' from spring crash

Months before it was confirmed that New York Mets star slugger and first baseman Pete Alonso will attempt to win a third consecutive Home Run Derby title next week, the 27-year-old was involved in a terrifying car accident during spring training in March. 

As Ryan Glasspiegel mentioned for the New York Post, Alonso offered a first-person account of that incident for a piece published by The Players' Tribune on Wednesday. 

"I had a green light. Nothing unusual at all. The light wasn’t even yellow, it was just a straight green light," Alonso noted. "So for the driver coming from the side, the light was red. It’s a situation we’re all in constantly, right? You have the green, and you keep going. You don’t even think about it. You just assume that the driver with the red light is obviously going to stop. 

"In my case, though, the person didn’t stop. His car plowed straight into the side of my truck. The collision literally sounded like a bomb went off. Then, before I could even figure out what had happened, my truck started to flip. It was horrifying. Just really scary." 

Back in March, Alonso admitted he was "thankful" and "blessed" to be alive following the wreck. For The Players' Tribune post, the two-time All-Star selection recalled believing he was "done" as his truck flipped multiple times. He ultimately walked away from the crash mostly uninjured. 

"When something like this happens to you, there’s so much that cycles through your mind," Alonso continued. "There are a ton of what-ifs involved. I mean, my wife was driving right behind me. If that other driver had arrived at that intersection two seconds later, he would've hit her instead. 

"And even beyond that, there are just a lot of things that have gone through my head since I got hit. A big accident like that, when it happens to you, I don’t care who you are, it’s not easy. No matter how strong you might think you are, it can still be rough in a lot of different ways. I’m still dealing with some pretty bad PTSD from it, to be completely honest with you. And I feel very fortunate that I was able to recognize that. That I’ve been able to talk through it with some people. I mean, over the past several months I’ve really been leaning on some people that I trust and hold close. I’m continuously working through everything." 

Despite Alonso's understandable issues coming off that traumatic event, he began Wednesday afternoon leading all of MLB with 72 RBI this season, per ESPN stats. He was tied for sixth with 23 homers and was batting .269 with an .871 OPS.