Insider Says These Mets' Stars Were All-Star Snubs Thanks to Home Run Derby

Did Pete Alonso's participation in the Home Run Derby unintentionally hurt his teammates' All-Star chances?

Jul 7, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) waits on the dugout steps to bat against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Mets won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

In a shocking turn of events, the New York Mets have just one player heading to the All-Star Game - first baseman Pete Alonso.

The 29-year-old face of the franchise was selected over teammates Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, who are the Mets' two most valuable players this season with a 3.8 and 3.0 fWAR, respectively. In contrast, Alonso has a 1.0 fWAR despite leading the team with 18 home runs.

In addition to making his third consecutive All-Star nod, the "Polar Bear" is also participating in the Home Run Derby, having previously won the event in 2019 and 2021 to become one of just four multiple-time winners. However, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Alonso's willingness to participate in the Derby came at the cost of him getting the Mets' All-Star selection over Lindor and Nimmo.

"Wittingly or not, Alonso created unintended consequences for Nimmo and Lindor when he said of the Derby, “If I’m selected to the All-Star team, I’m definitely open to doing it.” The league used each of its five at-large selections to account for teams that were left without a representative in the fan or player balloting. That is how Alonso became the Mets’ only All-Star," Rosenthal wrote.

By getting Pete Alonso in the Home Run Derby, MLB shortchanged two of his Mets teammates. Column: https://t.co/kxs9rbVLBH

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 10, 2024

If this happens to be true, this is a bafflingly shortsighted move by MLB for one simple reason: there have been plenty of players to participate in the Home Run Derby without being selected to the All-Star Game.

This happened to Alonso himself back in 2021; he became the third player in Home Run Derby history to win the event without being selected to the All-Star Game (the previous two were Yoenis Cespedes in 2013 and Giancarlo Stanton in 2016). In fact, two other participants in the 2021 Derby, Trey Mancini and Trevor Story, weren't on the All-Star roster either (Alonso notably outlasted Mancini in the final round). So even if Alonso didn't earn the All-Star nod this year, he likely would have been invited to the Derby regardless, especially given his previous track record, his love of the event, and his use of the prize money, donating portions of it to charity through his foundation.

But the problem isn't selecting Alonso as an All-Star. Rather, it's snubbing Lindor and Nimmo.

Both Lindor and Nimmo have been exceptionally valuable to the Mets this year; although they both went through slumps before June (notably Lindor, who hit just .197 in April), New York surged back into the playoff race thanks to their outstanding play. Lindor is hitting .294/.362/.544 with 20 extra-base hits, eight stolen bases, and a 158 wRC+ from June 1 to July 9 (in addition to his brilliant defensive play), while Nimmo is hitting .311/.396/.590 with 17 extra-base hits and a 181 wRC+ over that span.

Giving Alonso the Mets' guaranteed All-Star spot just for him to participate in the Home Run Derby just doesn't make sense in any capacity, especially since he was already a lock to participate in the Derby regardless; all this does is take away an opportunity for Lindor or Nimmo to represent the team in Arlington. It's certainly not Alonso's fault, as he's one of the most important and popular players for New York, but Met fans would rather see two of their players participate in the All-Star festivities instead of just one.