Mets' Pete Alonso Wants to Play for Team USA in 2026 World Baseball Classic

As the Team USA roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic continues to take shape, a veteran slugger lobbied for a spot.

Per Tim Healey of Newsday, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said he wants to make his second trip to the WBC for Team USA, though he has not yet spoken to manager Mark DeRosa about joining the team again.

Healey noted that Alonso would likely face competition from fellow first basemen Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies and Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves.

In his last appearance in the WBC in 2023, Alonso went 2-for-14 across five games as Team USA went on to lose to Japan in the championship game. He memorably started an eighth-inning rally against Venezuela in the quarterfinals and hit an RBI single against Cuba in the semifinals.

Alonso is off to a scorching start this season, leading the Mets with a .345 batting average while adding four home runs and 19 RBI. His on-base percentage of .464 is 106 points higher than his previous career high.

"It just means he’s seeing the baseball. He’s able to recognize the spin, the pitches that are going to be in the zone, out of the zone," Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "If he’s able to do that, everything else is going to take care of itself. The average is going to be good. It means he’s taking pitches, taking the close pitches. If you pay attention to his at-bats, just the way he is negotiating at-bats right now is, 'Whoa.'"

Alonso will look to continue his hot streak and make a good impression for DeRosa when the Mets take on the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.