Blue Jays' Guerrero Jr., voted into MLB All-Star Game as starter
Published
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is headed to the All-Star Game for the fifth straight season.
The Toronto Blue Jays slugger beat out Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees in phase two of fan voting for the American League’s starting first base spot at the Midsummer Classic July 15 in Atlanta.
Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk was also nominated as a finalist for a starting spot, but lost out to Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, who leads all of MLB in home runs with 33. Kirk, along with other members of the Blue Jays, will still be eligible to make the All-Star Team as reserves.
Guerrero is slashing .278/.380/.447 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI so far this season in 84 games. While solid, the numbers are below his pace from a season ago when he hit 30 home runs, drove in 103 runs and had an OPS of .940.
But despite a slight dip in Guerrero’s offensive performance, the Jays have been far better as a team, currently sitting at 47-38 just one game back of the Yankees for the AL East lead entering the third game of their series Wednesday evening.
The 26-year-old came into the season with questions surrounding his future. Guerrero did not have a contract past the 2025 season and negotiations with the Blue Jays became public in spring training when he said he planned to test free agency at the end of the season. But Guerrero and the Jays figured things out, reaching a record-breaking 14-year, $500 million contract in April that keeps him under club control through the 2039 season.
Guerrero adds his fifth All-Star nod to a trophy case that includes two Silver Sluggers, a Gold Glove, a Home Run Derby title in 2023 and an All-Star Game MVP in 2021.