Why was New York Mets’ Pete Alonso at AT&T Stadium? Will he defend HR Derby title?
The home of the Dallas Cowboys might be an odd place to find an All-Star baseball player, even if he was just a batting practice home run or two from Globe Life Field.
But that’s where New York Mets star Pete Alonso found himself Tuesday afternoon to help Topps Baseball Cards unveil its 2020 Series 1 set at the Million Card Rip Party at AT&T Stadium.
Alonso, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, wasn’t a big collector growing up in Florida, but his likeness is splashed across the Topps hobby and jumbo boxes.
However, he said he would love to have a card of Luis Rojas, hired Jan. 23 as Mets manager after they moved on from Carlos Beltran following his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal.
Why? Rojas is going to be a hit.
Alonso discussed that, the chances he defends his Home Run Derby title, and gave a shout-out to one of the newest Texas Rangers, Todd Frazier, for helping him through his rookie season.
Would you like to have a Luis Rojas card? Absolutely I would take one of those. Luis is awesome. He’s a great manager, and he’s definitely helped me progress through the minor leagues and as a quality control coach. He was a great member of the staff. To have him take the reins is going to be really special for us because a lot of the guys in the clubhouse that came through the Mets’ farm system played under Luis and loved having him.
And people from last year as well, having him as the quality control coach. There are so many people that are familiar with him, and he’s paid his dues. He went through every level of the minor leagues, managed in the Dominican Winter League, he’s won championships in the minor leagues, so he’s very well-qualified. I’m very happy for him.
Who was your biggest mentor last season? I’m really lucky. There’s a ton, but Robby Cano and Todd Frazier were some of the veterans that I tended to lean on. Those guys are kind of the leaders in the clubhouse and guys everyone looks to who are good role models for how they go about their business and play the game right way. I leaned on them a lot, and also Chili Davis and Tom Slater, our hitting coaches. Our entire staff and all our teammates were awesome. It was a really conducive clubhouse for me.
How did you prepare for the Home Run Derby? We actually practiced twice before the derby. We had the rules, and so we got it down and we got into a rhythm. Thank God I had some guys help me along the way. Todd Frazier and Robby Cano, those guys actually are Home Run Derby champions. And someone who was hurt, Yoenis Cespedes, is another Home Run Derby champion. Chili Davis was the hitting coach in Oakland when Ces won it. I had a lot of people help me out with the game plan. It’s like, slow and steady wins the race. You just have to conserve as much energy as possible, because it doesn’t matter how many homers you hit. You just have to hit one more than the guy you face.
Do you want to participate again? I think you have to be invited. But if I’m invited, I would love to.
What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever been asked to autograph? I signed someone’s baby. There was a mother with the child, she wanted me to take a picture with the child, and she wanted me to hold it. I felt a little uncomfortable because I didn’t want that responsibility. If the hand-off went wrong and I dropped the kid, that wouldn’t have turned out too well. So I said, ‘No, I appreciate it, I’m flattered, but I’m sorry, no.’ She was like, ‘Can you sign a shirt?’ I was like, ‘Do you have another baby shirt?’ And she was just like, ‘No,’ and turned him around and said, ‘Sign him.’
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
