When Pete Alonso made the bold proclamation (see below) that probably helped keep him in Queens another year, he was fresh off his worst statistical season.

Alonso wasn’t loving how negotiations were going, but he was on his home turf at his Tampa club meeting with owner Steve Cohen and baseball president David Stearns, and he didn’t hold back.

Alonso, swinging for the fences, told Stearns, “When my career is being evaluated for the Hall of Fame years from now, you’ll still be fiddling with your [flipping] formulas.” Only he didn’t say “flipping.”

Alonso made his case, also telling Stearns he’s using analytics and biomechanics to be back to his best soon — things to sway a numbers expert like Stearns. But it was Alonso’s one charged comment that’s worth examining today.