Pete Alonso is looking to defend his crown as the Home Run Derby champion. The All-Star first baseman for the New York Mets is a fantastic hitter and would be a supremely valuable designated hitter. Sluggers like Alonso are made for the DH spot in the lineup, especially now that the position is universal.

Alonso isn't having all the talk about being primarily a designated hitter, though. According to Howard Fendrich of AP, Pete Alonso loves playing the field and feels like he can make meaningful contributions at first base.

“If I DH too much, I don’t want to be labeled something that I’m not. Personally, my favorite thing to do is to be out there in the field. I love playing first base. I feel like I can best contribute to the team by being out there. I’m young, I’m healthy, I’m fit, so I want to be out there as much as possible. When I’m older — if I’m still playing at 38, let’s say — yeah, sure, I’ll take a few extra DH days.”

Stats like defensive runs saved and outs above average show that Pete Alonso still has work to do as a fielder. He remains determined to improve, though.

The stats also show that Alonso hits extremely well. He gets his bat's barrel on the ball very often and hits it extremely hard. Alonso has a .871 OPS with 89 hits and 24 home runs.

Mets manager Buck Showalter has used Pete Alonso exclusively as a designated hitter 19 times in 89 games this season. Although he isn't completely getting his wish, he is still getting his chances in the field.