Pete Alonso went to social media to announce his participation in the year’s Home Run Derby. I thought he said he was done with that…
Pete Alonso says he’s in this year’s Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game at Coor’s Field.
I Stand Corrected!
Congratulations, Pete
According to the New York Post, before we get to the why of his decision, this is the sequence of events following the Mets’ loss to the Braves last night.
“The Mets slugger posted a video on Instagram announcing his return to the Home Run Derby. The video showed Alonso’s 2019 derby highlights, but with a twist. Instead of Alonso’s face, a roaring polar bear was photoshopped onto his head. The post also had a simple caption.
“I’m back. July 12th @ Coors Field. #LFGM,” Alonso captioned the video.”
Here’s Pete Alonso explaining his decision to participate…
Pete Alonso: Ego Trip At The Expense Of the Mets
Excuse me, but consider that when Pete Alonso entered and won the Home Run Derby in 2019, the Mets were stuck in the middle of nowhere and not at the top of the NL East as they are now.
Pete Alonso was a star in the making and on his way to setting a major league record for home runs by a rookie.
It’s also a fact that when Alonso and his invested cheerleader, Jeff McNeil, returned to the clubhouse after their stay in Cleveland, the Mets took off on a streak that brought them within inches of the playoffs.
Another fact is, though, the Mets don’t need that this year. They have a good thing going with an intact clubhouse, of which Pete Alonso is an integral part of the mix.
I Love Pete Alonso But This Is Over The Top
Here’s another video put out by the Pete Alonso camp, this one promoting his selection to the All-Star team…
A vote for Pete is a vote for jorts. Send our guy to the All-Star Game. #VotePete
⭐️: https://t.co/iBoFRXs191 pic.twitter.com/Sv3zDDExfo
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 21, 2021
No matter what Pete Alonso thinks or wants, this is how fans across America are voting at first base:
NL
1) Max Muncy, LAD, 22%
2) Freddie Freeman, ATL, 17%
3) Anthony Rizzo, CHC, 13%
Next up: Eric Hosmer, SD, 8%; Jesús Aguilar, MIA, 7%
Needless to say, Pete Alonso’s name does not appear, and maybe it has something to do with the pedestrian stats he’s putting up this year (.250 BA, 12 HR, and 35 RBI).
All good and helping to lead a Mets’ offense that still holds the distinction of having the second worse in the major leagues for runs scored.
Sorry Pete, but these are not stats worthy of being elected to the NL All-Star game as their first baseman.
And certainly not when your counterpart in the American League, Vladimar Guerrero Jr., is having a real All-Star season, leading the league in home runs (23), RBI (50), On-Base Percentage (.441), and an OPS of 1.109.
Pete Alonso: Does Vlad Jr. Mean Anything To You?
Of note, too, is that Guerrero announced today he is dropping out of the Home Run Derby, telling ESPN he “wants to stay fresh.”
The question (now) for Alonso is how does your win in Colorado make the Mets a better team, even aside from the possibility an injury can occur, or his timing can be negatively affected?
Someone on the Mets, whether it’s a player in the clubhouse, his manager Luis Rojas, or as a last resort Sandy Alderson, sends a firm message to Pete Alonso that our season is not about you.
2019 was different, but that was then, and this is now.
I can’t say this strongly enough. Pete Alonso – drop out of the Home Run Derby – the Mets need you more than you should need that trophy and exposure to a national TV audience.
Been there, done it, and that should be enough.
During the offseason, Pete Alonso made headlines in New York when he announced he was deleting all social media because it took too much of his time.
What happened with that, Pete…
Author’s Postscript
Mets fans, and in particular, supporters of Pete Alonso will not like this article. But I’m only here to say I see a streak in Alonso, that for a player with only three years at this level, is making decisions that will (eventually) catch up with him as a counterproductive sequence of events. For reference, from an earlier story… (https://reflectionsonbaseball.com/pete-alonso-on-making-the-transition-from-superman-to-clark-kent/)
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Bobby Kildosher He has changed as a player since the beginning of this year.
Victor Parlati Pete was hitting about .280 before the all-star break and the home run derby in 2019…Since then he’s been the 2nd coming of Dave Kingman. Think about that for a while.
Mayra Santa Roman with the bad luck the Mets are having with the injuries,, I wouldn’t do it, if I were him, at the same time, How can he say NO,, its a lot of fun,
Scott Larned The way Alonso is struggling, this is a bad idea. Nothing but an oblique strain waiting to happen. The only Mets that deserve to be anywhere near the All-Star Game are deGrom, Stroman, and Walker.
Carrington Brown Please don’t do it. It messes up your swing. Haven’t you learned? Why you think Vlad not Participating because He knows better
Jeff Lane Let him have a good time
Lance LoConti David Wright went and became HR happy and it affected his line drive tendencies after. Pete is a power hitter, and maybe it will help him find the zone again.
Robert Kaelin Let him do it maybe he will find His swing
Susan Franciscovich Pete’s excited and happy and so am I for him. He’s got such talent and determination. I think he’d like to play all positions and umpire himself all in one game. I respect and admire Pete for his unbridled enthusiasm, talent, determination. U Go young man!!!
Michael Mombo Calabrese BAD MOVE He should try and get out of this SLUMP, we need him to start pounding the ball
Gary T Belgrave Steve Contursi It put him in a bad slump that year it has put others in slumps to Bad idea imo
Author’s Wrapup
We’ll cut off published comments now, but as we can see, results are mixed. For me, I still think it’s an ego trip for Alonso and one the Mets can do without…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
