New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso won’t be keeping all of his prize money to himself if he wins the Home Run Derby.
On Monday, July 8, New York Mets rookie first baseman Pete Alonso will be participating in the Home Run Derby. It’s obviously his first Home Run Derby, and who knows if it’ll be his last.
Alonso has hit 28 home runs thus far in his first season in the Majors, only trailing behind Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers for the most home runs in the majors.
On Tuesday, the Mets first baseman made the announcement that if he wins the Home Run Derby, he won’t be keeping all of the prize money. The winner wins $1 million, and Alonso said if he wins, he’ll donate 10% of it to numerous charities.
Pete Alonso has also figured out his charity strategy. If he wins the Derby, he said, he will donate 5 percent of the $1 million purse to the Wounded Warriors Project, and 5 percent to Tunnel to Towers, a Staten Island non-profit.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 2, 2019
Alonso was also chosen to be on the National League roster for the All-Star Game on July 9. Mets outfielder/infielder Jeff McNeil and left-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom were also named to the All-Star Game roster for the NL as well.
Through 85 games, Alonso is batting .275 with 28 home runs and 64 RBIs. Along with getting named to the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, Alonso also won the NL Rookie of the Month Award for June. It’s the second time he’s won that award this year, and there have only been three completed months thus far in the 2019 season.
Needless to say, if Alonso keeps all of this up, he’ll be one of the premier players in New York for years to come.