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Former Gator star surprisingly misses out as MLB All-Star Game starter

Florida legend Pete Alonso part of ESPN's biggest snubs list for MLB All-Star Game
ByCameron Wilhorn|
Feb 25, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Feb 25, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The University of Florida has had plenty of talent walk through its baseball program before eventually finding a spot in Major League Baseball.

Pete Alonso, a Gator from 2014-2016, falls into that category and may even be the greatest ballplayer to come through Gainesville this century. Playing first and third base for head coach Kevin O'Sullivan, Alonso had a career .316 batting average and earned All-American honors in 2016.

Alonso's incredible 2016 campaign pushed the New York Mets to select him with the 64th overall pick, and the star from Tampa elected to move on to the professional ranks. He's grown into one of MLB's best first basemen and made the 2025 All-Star game as a representative for the National League.

Yet, Alonso's name comes up in an article by MLB analyst Bradford Doolittle as one of the biggest snubs of the All-Star game starters and reserves reveal.

Alonso made the All-Star game in four of his first six MLB seasons, but he hadn't ever started the exhibition. It seemed as though 2025 would be the year Alonso bucked that trend, owning a .929 OPS with 20 home runs across 90 games as of July 6.

Instead, longtime Atlanta Brave and current Los Angeles Dodger Freddie Freeman got the nod as the NL's starting first baseman. It's worth noting that the All-Star Game is held in Atlanta this season.

Doolittle was up front with his feelings about Freeman's selection, saying it Alonso should have received the honor.

It's easy to see Doolittle's argument; Alonso has twice as many homers as Freeman, and he leads Freeman in both on-base percentage and slugging. Freeman's biggest advantage comes in batting average, where he leads Alonso .307 to .287.

While Alonso trails Freeman in defensive statistics like outs above average -- which is an all-encompassing stat that accounts for the number of plays a player makes or misses and the difficulty of each play -- Alonso has a significant lead in Wins Above Replacement (WAR).

MLB.com explains WAR as a stat that "measures a player's value in all facets of the game by deciphering how many more wins he's worth than a replacement-level player at his same position."

It includes batting, fielding, pitching and baserunning statistics and is adjusted by position.

Alonso boasts a 3.3 WAR, which ranks second among MLB first basemen and 26th among all MLB players, while Freeman's WAR sits at merely 2.0.

Although Alonso may have missed out on his first-career All-Star game start, he has his eyes on a bigger prize: a World Series Championship with the 52-39 Mets.

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