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Pete Alonso is sitting this one out, so let’s look back at how the Mets have historically done in the Derby.
Since the
Home Run Derby was instituted as a yearly All-Star event in 1985, there have been twelve events with one of the
New York Mets competing. Only five Mets have participated in the derby, with Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, David Wright, and Pete Alonso all competing more than once, and Bobby Bonilla appearing in the 1993 Derby.
Historically, the Mets are one of the more successful clubs in the Derby, having had players win three contests, second to only the
Yankees and tied with five other clubs. Pete Alonso is the all-time Home Run Derby leader, hitting 207 home runs over five seasons. With no 2025 participants already on the big board, Alonso’s record will last at least another year.
Players who would eventually go on to play for the Mets or were former Mets have also had successful runs in the Derby. Juan Soto has 99 home runs over two appearances, Todd Frazier 91 over three, and Eddie Murray, Kevin Mitchell, Gary Sheffield, Mike Piazza, Mo Vaughn, Damion Easley, Moisés Alou, Shawn Green, Jeromy Burnitz, Carl Everett, Carlos Delgado, Bobby Abreu, Jason Bay, Adrián González, José Bautista, Carlos Beltrán, Robinson Canó, Yoenis Céspedes, Michael Cuddyer, Brian Dozier, and Javier Báez all appeared in at least one, but not in a Mets uniform.
In the second ever Derby in 1986, when the format was two “innings” with each player getting five outs per at-bat. Darryl Strawberry led the National League bracket with four home runs, tied with the (then) California Angels’ Wally Joyner, with the NL eking out an 8-7 victory.
Two years later, Howard Johnson competed in his first Home Run Derby, hitting two home runs en route to another National League victory. Eric Davis of the
Cincinnati Reds led the NL side with three dingers.
In 1990, Strawberry was back, but didn’t hit a single home run. He wasn’t the only one; of the eight participants, only three players (Mark McGwire, Matt Williams, and winner Ryne Sandberg) actually hitting home runs in the usually offensively friendly Wrigley Field.
1991 saw a new format (three rounds, 10 outs per round with top four advancing to round two, top two advancing to the finals) and the first American League victory since the inaugural Derby in a 20-7 trouncing. HoJo was back for the NL, but he didn’t hit any home runs. Cal Ripken Jr. eventually won, hitting 12 home runs, the most in any Derby to that point.
After coming over as part of the eventually dubbed ‘Worst Team Money Could Buy,’ Bobby Bonilla tied for the NL lead with five home runs, but lost to Juan González, who edged out Ken Griffey Jr. in an overtime playoff.
After 13 long years and a format change, David Wright was the first Met since Bobby Bo to compete. In this new format, the four highest totals moved onto the second round, and the players with the most total home runs in total between the first two rounds would advance to the finals. Wright lost by one home run to Ryan Howard in the finals after a great performance, helped by his pitcher of choice, Mets’ catcher Paul Lo Duca.
Wright returned to the Derby in 2013, but didn’t make it out of the first round with only five home runs.
Pete Alonso has now competed in the last five Derbies before the 2025 contest, which he declined to participate in, in part because he did not like hitting in Truist Park.
For Alonso’s first four derbies, the format was changed to being time based instead of outs-based, the matchups led were placed into a new bracket system, along with some added incentives for distance of home runs. This format suited Alonso well, as he dominated in his first two appearances.
In 2019, Alonso out-slugged Carlos Santana in round one and Ronald Acuña Jr. in round two, each by one home run, to advance to the finals against Vladimir Guerrero Jr.. Alonso once again edged out his competition by one skinny home run, taking the title with 57 dingers across three rounds. Alonso’s 57 is the tenth most home runs hit in any Derby.
After the Home Run Derby was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alonso returned in 2021 and had another standout performance, defeating Salvador Pérez in round one, future teammate Juan Soto in round two, and Trey Mancini in the finals, again claiming victory with 74 home runs, fourth best Derby performance of all time. Alonso’s 35 home runs in the first round is also tied for the fourth best round of all time.
Soto got his revenge in 2022, beating Julio Rodríguez in the finals. Rodríguez took out Alonso in round two after Pete beat Acuña in the first round.
Despite hitting 21 home runs in the first round of the 2023 Derby, Alonso got knocked out by Vladdy Jr’s insane 41 home runs in the first round. Guerrero was the eventual winner, despite hitting only four more home runs combined in rounds two and three than he did in round one.
2024 was not Pete’s year and, due to the new format that eliminated the bracket system and went back to the straight totals leading to advancement, Alonso didn’t make it out of the first round with his 12 home runs.