Peter Alonso, nicknamed "Polar Bear," is a professional baseball first baseman currently playing for the Baltimore Orioles, though he spent his first seven MLB seasons with the New York Mets. Drafted in the second round (64th overall) in 2016 out of the University of Florida, he made his MLB debut on Opening Day 2019 and immediately set a major league rookie record with 53 home runs, earning the National League Rookie of the Year Award. A five-time MLB All-Star, Alonso led the league in home runs in 2019 and runs batted in in 2022, and he holds the Mets' all-time franchise record for home runs. He has also won the MLB Home Run Derby twice, in 2019 and 2021. His family history adds a poignant layer to his New York legacy: his grandfather, a Spanish refugee who fled the Spanish Civil War, settled in Queens and became a devoted Brooklyn Dodgers fan.