New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso will once again take part in the Home Run Derby, which is part of the All-Star Game festivities in Arlington, Texas.
According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Alonso will make some fun and unique baseball history by playing in the Derby.
Pete Alonso is the first player to play in five consecutive Home Run Derbys.
Pete Alonso is the first player to participate in five consecutive Home Run Derbys https://t.co/aNSOBamvh8
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 8, 2024
Alonso won the signature event in Cleveland in 2019, then in Colorado in 2021. The Home Run Derby didn’t take place in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he’ll also compete in Los Angeles in 2022 and Seattle in 2023. Juan Soto (WAS) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) have each won the title.
The 29-year-old is batting .240 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs for the Mets this season, and has been one of the best home run hitters in baseball since his debut in 2019. He led baseball with 53 home runs in 2019, and has always hit 37 or more home runs in a season in which he has played a full season (16 in the shortened COVID season).
Alonso is having a great season with the Mets despite the many questions swirling around his future. He is a free agent at the end of the year and has not been able to come to a long-term deal with the Mets. He could be traded at the upcoming trade deadline, but with the Mets just 2.5 games out of the running for the National League Wild Card, it seems unlikely they will trade him.
The Home Run Derby is Monday, July 15th.
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