Why Mets' Pete Alonso is all-in on the Home Run Derby - ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas — Each summer, Major League Baseball strives to fill out the eight-man Home Run Derby field with as much star power as possible. Depending on which sluggers volunteer, some collections shine brighter than others. In recent years, many superstars have participated once to check the box or avoided the event entirely. But the league has been able to rely on one constant for the past half-decade: New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

Alonso is unlike any of his star peers. The slugger embraces the Home Run Derby with a spirited polar bear hug. He loves the Home Run Derby, so he didn't hesitate to accept another invitation to Monday's contest at Globe Life Field when he got the call last week that he had made the National League All-Star team. He posted a highlight video announcing his decision to compete on his Instagram page by the end of the day.

«It's just one of those things that I'm keeping a promise to my childhood self because it was a dream,» Alonso, 29, said. «And now, with a lot of help from so many great people in my life, I've put myself in a position to [participate]. It's such a blessing and a dream come true.»

This will be Alonso's fifth career Derby appearance — and fifth straight. He won it in his first two attempts, in 2019 and 2021, before falling short the past two years. Alonso's inclusion gave MLB an easy storyline: Since its inception in 1985, Ken Griffey Jr. is the only player to win the Derby three times. Alonso is chasing longball history.

Alonso wasn't expected to make the All-Star team as the Mets' lone representative. He's on pace for career lows in home runs and on-base percentage this season. Shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Brandon Nimmo are teammates with stronger