When New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is taking his cuts at the 2019 Home Run Derby at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Monday, Justin Dunn and Jarred Kelenic will be among those rooting for him.
Speaking from the MLB Futures Game on Sunday, Dunn and Kelenic said there's no grudges being held post-trade, as the two prospects were sent to the Seattle Mariners in December in a massive deal that landed the Mets Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. Instead, the two sounded like they might be Alonso's biggest cheerleaders.
"I still have a lot of buddies over there so does Justin Dunn. My buddy like Pete Alonso, I mean, what a great season he's having," Kelenic said. "I definitely keep tabs on him."
Dunn took it a step further. When the home run battle ensues on the shores of Lake Erie, his current team, the Arkansas Travelers, will be taking on the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Dunn isn't scheduled to start, so he'll be keeping one eye on his team's game, and another on Alonso.
Or perhaps both on Alonso.
"(Alonso is) going to put on a show and I'm excited for it," Dunn added."I've got my polar bear Pete shirt, it's ironed and pressed, I'm wearing it on the flight home. Tomorrow during the game I'm not pitching, so you'll definitely find me in the locker room or someone will have their Apple watch on giving me updates."
While both players will pull for Alonso, both also acknowledged their former club that traded them away. Neither holds a grudge against the organization, either.
"You're shocked, you never think it's you. But again, being from the city, I know at the drop of a dime, you've got to do what's best to win. It's all about titles in New York," Dunn said. "I understood it, no hard feelings."
"They made my dream come true," Kelenic added. "I'm always going to be rooting for them no matter what."
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