Pete Alonso HR Derby claim loses weight after latest entry into event

Pete Alonso is set to compete in the Home Run Derby for the fifth consecutive year. He won the Derby in 2019 and 2021 and fell short in 2022 and 2023. Alonso is also the only member of the New York Mets that was named an All-Star, with players such as Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor being left off the roster.

Ken Rosenthal discussed in his recent piece in The Athletic how Nimmo and Lindor were more deserving All-Stars than Alonso, and that baseball had a desire to have Alonso in the Derby, which is what led to him getting the nod over his Mets teammates. Alonso insisted on being an All-Star so he could compete in the Derby. But while the Derby typically only features All-Stars, Texas Rangers slugger Adolis Garcia has entered the field despite not being an All-Star himself.

Pete Alonso Derby claim loses weight with Adolis Garcia entry

Alonso had previously stated that if he was an All-Star, he would be doing the Derby. In the end, Major League Baseball bowed down to Alonso's demands to make him an All-Star so he could participate in the Derby. As Rosenthal explains, Alonso is on career-low paces in OPS and home runs. Players such as Lindor and Nimmo were more deserving of the All-Star nod, and Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks was more deserving of the final first base spot.

And with Garcia participating despite not being an All-Star, it becomes that much clearer that the league bowed down to Alonso out of a desire to have him compete in the Derby. Alonso is the lone Mets All-Star, and this ultimately prevented Nimmo and Lindor for being considered as the Mets All-Star representative.

It's possible still for Lindor or Nimmo to be named All-Stars, but only in the event of a need for a replacement due to an injury. As Rosenthal explains, the league's desire to have Alonso in the Derby will ultimately be what kept his Mets teammates out if they are not added to the roster.