Blue Jay’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. strengthens Toronto legacy with rare MLB All-Star record
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. joined an exclusive group after being named the starting first baseman for the American League All-Star team on Wednesday.
Guerrero Jr., who is playing in his fourth career All-Star game, joins Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter and Jose Bautista as the only Blue Jays to be voted as an All-Star starter three times.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. becomes the 4th player in Blue Jays history to be voted as a 3-time All-Star starter, joining:
Roberto AlomarJoe CarterJose Bautista pic.twitter.com/n1MHn8wjFv
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) July 3, 2024
Despite being 25 years old and in just his sixth season, Guerrero Jr. is already well on his way to becoming a Blue Jays legend.
“This is one more accomplishment, and of course, it’s one more closer to my dad,” Guerrero said to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson through a club interpreter. “He has nine All-Star Games, so I’m getting close to him. That’s my goal.”
Guerrero Jr. is of course referring to his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. who made nine All-Star games throughout his illustrious career.
Guerrero Sr. made his fourth All-Star game during his age-27 season, so the 25-year-old Guerrero Jr. already has a leg up on his father in that regard.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Third All-Star Start
© Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Guerrero Jr. has had a great first half of the season so far, slashing .298/.376/.472 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI.
The last two weeks during the heat of All-Star voting have been especially strong for Guerrero Jr. He slashed .404/.429/.915 with six home runs and 20 RBI over his last 11 games and was named American League Player of the Week last week.
Guerrero Jr., who is also the defending Home Run Derby champion, edged out Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle during the final phase of All-Star voting to earn the starting nod. Mountcastle has had a great season of his own, with a .273/.317/.460 line with 11 home runs and 40 RBI while playing elite defense at first.
“It’s not just about this year and these last couple of weeks, I think it’s about his whole body of work since he’s been here,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said to Matheson. “It’s about the way he plays, his personality and how he’s viewed around the league. That makes him a year-in, year-out candidate to be an All-Star.”
Guerrero Jr. is the only Blue Jay to be named an All-Star starter and could be Toronto’s only representative in the Midsummer Classic in Arlington, Texas. Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios have both had All-Star caliber seasons on the mound and are the most likely Blue Jays to join Guerrero on the American League side.
Before his torrid stretch of play heading into the All-Star break, Guerrero Jr. was one of the most frequent names being brought up in trade rumors, even going as far as to having to clarify past comments where he said he would never play for the New York Yankees.
However, despite the rumors, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins has made it clear that he is not intending to trade Guerrero Jr., and would instead prefer to work on a contract extension with the All-Star first baseman.
"We believe in them, we believe in their futures and hope there's a way they can play here for a long time."
Ross Atkins addresses the reports that Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be traded:@BlueJays | #BlueJays | #TOTHECORE
https://t.co/fGPbvbjGlC pic.twitter.com/dtTbq4wPOz
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 2, 2024
Even though Guerrero Jr. has been playing so well, especially lately, it hasn’t necessarily translated to wins and team success. The Blue Jays have vastly underperformed so far this season and are currently 7.0 games back of the third American League Wild Card with a 39-46 record.
The post Blue Jay’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. strengthens Toronto legacy with rare MLB All-Star record appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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