Mets' Alonso declines HR Derby invite: Time for 'a break'

For the first time since 2018, the Home Run Derby won't feature Pete Alonso.

The New York Mets slugger, a two-time derby champion who's become a fixture of the midseason home-run hitting contest, revealed Sunday that he turned down an invitation to participate in this year's event at Truist Park.

Alonso will still be in Atlanta in two weeks after he was named to the National League All-Star squad as a reserve. However, with his Mets about to embark on a heated second-half battle for the NL East title, the 30-year-old felt it was the right time to get some extra rest.

"I just want to be in the best possible position to help this team win in the second half," Alonso told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "I feel like I'm in a groove with certain things. ... I love the event. It's a sick event. I just didn't really feel motivated to do it this year. I just figured I'd take a break, use the break as recovery and get back at it, help the team win in the second half."

Alonso added that he'd be willing to participate if the event ever returns to Citi Field, or ends up in "another park that I love to hit at" such as Fenway Park or Wrigley Field.

This marks the first time that Alonso has declined to take part in a Home Run Derby. He's participated in every derby that's been contested since he arrived in the majors in 2019, winning the event as a rookie and then defending his title two years later.

Alonso's derby performances have become mythical. His 207 total derby home runs are by far the most in the event's history. He also owns two of the top 10 single-derby totals, including a then-record 74 in 2021. However, the last two years saw him eliminated in the first round; he hit the second-fewest homers (12) of any contestant last summer in Arlington.

Alonso has hit his fair share of competitive home runs this season. The five-time All-Star's mashed 20 round-trippers along with 73 RBIs and an NL-high 25 doubles while hitting a career-best .287/.380/.543 over 91 games for the Mets.

So far, only four players - Seattle's Cal Raleigh, Washington's James Wood, Minnesota's Byron Buxton, and the Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. - have committed to take part in this year's Home Run Derby. The full field will consist of eight participants.