Why Pete Alonso Doesn’t Need to Be the All-Star MVP
The 2025 All-Star Game was a true test of confidence for the New York Mets’ selected players. When Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Edwin Diaz, and David Peterson stood up at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, they were met with boos. Sarcastically, Pete Alonso saluted the crowd, taking off his hat with a knowing smirk. Any New York Mets fan knows that these players are akin to beating the odds, especially when no one wants them to. Judging by their performance, it would seem that the initial ‘warm’ welcome and the atmosphere of playing amongst the greats of baseball lit a fire underneath them, if one needed to be lit at all.
Pete Alonso became a figure in Mets history, one of three to hit a three-run homer at an All-Star game, proving exactly why he was selected for the prestigious honor in the first place. In baseball, there is always going to be pressure. Pressure to win, pressure to break records, or be the best. The Mets play best when that pressure is self-imposed, not external. Last season, I watched the Mets at Citizens Bank Park play against the Philadelphia Phillies. Similarly, the Mets players were booed as they were announced. One of a handful of Mets fans in the crowd, I was playfully, and then not so playfully, heckled by Phillies fans in the crowd. By the 8th inning, the once-boisterous fans around us were silent, piling out with their caps held low by the dozens. The Mets had gotten five runs, taking home a definitive win.
As a fan, I follow the Mets because of their long-standing tradition of coming up out of nowhere. When they are raked with boos and down for the count, that’s when they remember who they are and push past the limits. It’s why Pete Alonso turning down the 2025 Home Run Derby is so significant. It shows confidence in himself and his abilities, not to need to prove that he can win. Now, he knows it. Despite Alonso’s historic performance last night, he was passed up for MVP in favor of Kyle Schwarber, who clinched the game with a stellar performance during the historic swing-off. It’s important to note that Alonso was on deck as the third batter for the NL. Losing to Schwarber, a member of the Phillies, a significant competitor for the Mets, given they are half a game ahead, proves that the rivalry is neck and neck. The Mets have to take the confidence they showed last night and bring it with them against the Reds this weekend. Now, with all of that restless momentum and eagerness to go from Alonso, the Mets are looking to have a season that proves they had this all along.
