TAMPA, Fla. — Looking to impress with your baseball skills in front of a two-time MLB All-Star?
Plant High School alumni and New York Mets player Pete Alonso will host his Battle For The Bay competition for the second straight year.
The event is a youth homerun derby designed for family fun and features some of the top young baseball and softball hitters from across the Tampa Bay region, the Alonso Foundation said in a news release.
Alonso, along with current and former MLB players, will coach selected boys and girls hitters from five different age groups between 12 and 16.
“Giving back to the Tampa community is super important to us, and building on last year’s success with this incredible and popular venue is so exciting," Alonso said in a statement. "Our partnership with the City of Tampa to form a fund that refurbishes and improves area fields is critical to enabling kids to safely enjoy the game that has given us so much."
One of the coaches who will take part in the competition this year is Tampa Bay Rays star Randy Arozarena, who hosted his inaugural baseball camp last year.
When the homerun derby completes, Alonso, Arozarena and other coaches will sign autographs for kids who participated in the event.
"All proceeds benefit the Alonso Foundation, which funds annual field refurbishment projects at local youth fields all over Tampa," the news release reads.
The Battle For The Bay will take place from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21 at Plant High School. The event will feature a family-friendly fan fest that includes food trucks, interactive games, activities and market-style vendors.
Family, friends or fans who attend the event to cheer on a player will have to the general admission parking fee of $3 per car.
To learn more about the event, click here.
Alonso, who graduated from Plant High School in 2013, won the MLB All-Star Homerun Derby twice in his career and was awarded the MLB Rookie of the Year in 2019.
