New York Mets‘ first baseman and slugger Pete Alonso could see with his own eyes the effect of a donation he provided when he won the Home Run Derby last year. Representatives of the Tunnel to Towers and the Wounded Warrior Project nonprofit organizations went to Citi Field and Alonso had a chance to chat with them in an emotional scene.
After that, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, he wanted to do more for his community. Now, together with his fiancée Haley Walsh, thet are about to launch a platform to help.
“Basically, it was like, ‘Well, why do we need to focus on one specific thing?’†Alonso recalled Wednesday in a phone interview. “And the answer to that was, ‘We don’t.’ We just want to help as many people as possible. … We want to be fluid with the world around us.â€
The Mets’ infielder started the paperwork for his own foundation in January. A few months later, it is now up and running at www.homers4heroes.org. The organization’s mission is “to recognize the outstanding work of our heroes and inspire others to be a hero in others’ lives.†Each month, Alonso and Walsh plan to assess nominations and decide where to send their resources.
The Mets’ star wants to excel as a player and as a human being
“I want to give people that opportunity not just to show appreciation, but also [to] help those people that have had impacts and that are doing good and that are on a mission trying to help others,†Alonso said. “For us, we’re not just trying to help other people, but we’re trying to inspire and light a spark in other people as well.â€
Alonso has always expressed a desire to excel not only in the field – where he did more than OK in his rookie season with a record-setting 53 home runs with the Mets – but also as a person. He is one of the MLB young starts who is involved the most with the community.
The New York Mets’ first baseman is working out near his Tampa home hoping that there is a season this year. He is training in a barn with Ryan Rigau of Athlete Retreat.
“It’s been a very tiny and small workout group, but we’re making the best of it by using private facilities and being as careful as possible,†Alonso said.