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Mets' Alonso 'all-in' to defend Home Run Derby title

Alex Trautwig / Major League Baseball / Getty

The 2021 Home Run Derby participants have yet to be decided, but the defending champ is interested.

"I'm all-in. I'm ready," New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso said, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "If I get invited, I'd love to do it. I'd love to defend my title."

This year's festivities will be held at Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies, which is known as a hitter's park due to the thin air at high altitude.

Coors Field was awarded the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby after MLB decided to pull the 2021 Midsummer Classic from original host city Atlanta earlier in April.

Alonso, 26, is off to a decent start to the campaign, hitting .229/.296/.458 with three homers and a 108 wRC+. The first baseman won NL Rookie of the Year in 2019, leading the majors with 53 homers.

In one of the most entertaining derbies in recent memory, Alonso bested Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2019 finale. The event broke records with Guerrero hitting 91 dingers, aided by an incredible semifinal round against Joc Pederson that featured 79 total homers between the two players.

The 2020 All-Star weekend, including the Home Run Derby, was canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles Dodgers were slated to host.

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