Pete Alonso is going for three.
The two-time Home Run Derby champion will once again participate in the event. The Mets star will be launching bombs next week at Dodger Stadium.
Alonso won the 2019 and 2021 derbies. There was no derby during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. Another derby victory would make Alonso just the second player to take home three Home Run Derby crowns — Ken Griffey Jr. won the Derby in 1994, 1998, and 1999.
With the Mets just seven games away from the All-Star Break, Alonso has 23 home runs and 70 RBIs to go with a .273 batting average — he’s on pace to have arguably the best year of his career.
Alonso cannot follow a frightening trend though and hit a wall production-wise after participating in the Derby. The Mets, albeit a first-place ballclub, will desperately need his bat down the stretch.
The Braves are breathing down the Mets’ neck and have been playing red-hot baseball for over a month. From now until October, it could be a tight race for the National League East, and the Mets will need Alonso in peak form the entire way.
Hopefully the Derby doesn’t ruin Alonso’s swing for the second half of the season, like we’ve seen it do for various sluggers over the years.
