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In his first season in Baltimore, Pete Alonso was unanimously voted Most Valuable Oriole by local media, the team announced Tuesday.

Alonso has proven to be worth every penny of the five-year, $155 million contract he signed in the offseason. The first baseman has 40 home runs, an American League-leading 108 RBIs, 24 doubles and an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .869.

“To represent this organization, this city every day, I take an immense amount of pride in that,” Alonso said. “It’s an honor, a huge honor.”

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Alonso is the eighth first baseman to be named Most Valuable Oriole, joining Jim Gentile, Boog Powell, Lee May, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Jeff Conine and Chris Davis. He is also the first unanimous winner since Cedric Mullins in 2021.

The last player to receive the honor in his first year as an Oriole was Adley Rutschman, who won as a rookie in 2022.

Outside of Alonso’s dominant campaign, 2026 was a year to forget for the Orioles. But Alonso is motivated to turn the ship around next season.

“I want to keep being the driving force,” he said. “I love competing, I love winning, and teamwise what we put out there wasn’t good enough. As a teammate and player, I want to do whatever it takes [to win].”

Manager Craig Albernaz praised Alonso’s presence in the clubhouse, saying he is always willing to help his teammates, even when he’s going through his own struggles. He pointed to the late-August series against the St. Louis Cardinals, when Alonso opened the three-game set with a 4-for-4 night with four RBIs and finished it on an 0-for-4 day with four strikeouts. The drop-off didn’t impact the way Alonso approached his interactions, Albernaz said.

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“[Alonso] wants to go out there and produce for the team, but he also wants everyone around him to do the same,” he said. “He wants to help pull everyone in the right direction for the team and to win games.”

Alonso has high hopes for the Orioles’ ability to compete in 2027, believing there’s a strong foundation on the roster.

“[My teammates have] talent coming out their ears and their eyeballs,” Alonso said. “It’s just a matter of how can we turn that talent into W’s.”