Former Florida first baseman [autotag]Pete Alonso[/autotag] is once again a major league All-Star
On Sunday, the New York Mets slugger was named a 2024 National League roster reserve. It’s Alonso’s fourth time being selected and the third year in a row he’s headed to the midsummer classic.
“I thought (Alonso) got hot and then he got cold, but this is a guy who can carry us,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said to The Athletic. “I like the at-bats as of late. I think he is making progress as far as the chases go, but the impact there, he’s a game changer.”
Alonso got off to a fairly normal start, belting eight homers through the first full month of the season, but he didn’t see the ball as well in May. His walk rate dipped, his strikeout rate up and the homers were cut in half. Alonso’s bat is too good to fall below the league average (108 wRC + in May), but he wasn’t the same kind of threat in the batter’s box.
Struggling to hit for average in May isn’t something new for Alonso, but he usually comes close to double-digit homers when healthy. He spent most of June refining his approach and raised his batting average considerably.
Alonso is the lone representative from the Mets this year. He moves ahead of Keith Hernandez for most by a first baseman in franchise history. David Wright holds the franchise record regardless of position with seven, and Mike Piazza, Tom Seaver and Darryl Strawberry are tied in second with six apiece.
The All-Star Game will be played on July 16 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
Home Run Derby
Alonso also announced that he would be participating in the Home Run Derby for a fifth straight time. He’ll compete with Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Philadelphia’s Alex Bohm. The rest of the field has not been announced.
The Polar Bear is chasing history as he looks to join Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time winner of the derby. Alonso won in 2019 as a rookie and again in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 event.
Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez has eliminated Alonso in the back-to-back years.
The Home Run Derby is scheduled for July 15 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
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