SEATTLE — Such is the power of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s brand and the influence of the Toronto Blue Jays that even despite his frustratingly puzzling losing season, fans still voted him as the American League’s All-Star first baseman.
Guerrero will not travel to Philadelphia for his sixth Midsummer Classic, saying on Saturday that he needs to use the upcoming break to recover for the second half after playing for a month with lower back problems. As a result, the Blue Jays will be represented by Ernie Clement, previously named the team’s leading AL vote-getter, as well as rookies Dylan Keys and Louis Varland, selected by player vote.
Manager John Schneider and his coaching staff will lead a star-studded team after the Blue Jays won the American League last fall, while Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith, Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez and former National Team member Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers will add even more Canadian flavor to the competition.
However, both Guerrero’s selection and subsequent departure are particularly noteworthy considering he’s batting .265/.346/.346 with just four homers and 35 RBIs in 84 games while missing five games after missing just 18 from 2020 to 2025.
It is unclear how much the back problem affected him during the game, but emphasizing how grateful he was to the fans for choosing him, he said the break would be a chance to get his body back in order for the second half.
“Before I make a decision like this, I always talk to my family, some of the veterans here,” Guerrero said through translator Hector Lebron. “As you guys know, I’ve been having a little trouble with my lower back. First of all, I need to prepare, prepare for the fact that my team will have a strong second half. That was the main thing in my decision.”
Guerrero beat out fellow New York Yankees Ben Rice, enjoying a breakout .267/.362/.564 season with 24 homers and 56 RBIs, by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent in the second round of voting results.
This is an incomprehensibly one-sided result given the difference in their numbers, and the voting process would provide endless hot food in the All-Star Game content cycle.
At the same time, the result “really speaks to him as a player, to him as a person just in the context of the game,” manager John Schneider said. “When people come to watch a baseball game, Vlad is one of those guys they come to for obvious reasons, and there are a lot of fans who like him, whether it’s in Canada or in the States or wherever. He’s one of the faces of the game… and the way the system works allows people to express their feelings.”
Despite this, Schneider called Guerrero’s decision to leave “a sign of growing up.” They’ve discussed it in recent days, and Guerrero said he’s been thinking about it all last week since he missed Tuesday’s game with a back strain before returning to action on Wednesday for Canada Day.
And as important as it is to represent the fans’ decision, “he’s the face of our franchise and understands how important he is to us and what we’re trying to accomplish,” Schneider said. “It shows maturity. He’ll benefit from a little physical impact and hopefully he’ll be at his best for us after the break. He understands and respects how special it is to be voted out, but at the same time wants to do what’s best for the Jays, which I think is the most important thing.”
Keys, meanwhile, finished second in the players’ voting for AL starting pitchers behind Yankees ace Cam Schlittler, and with his last start before the break scheduled for Wednesday in San Francisco, he’ll get some attention heading into the Midsummer Classic. The key factor here is the varying needs of the other starters – Schlittler is obviously the leading candidate – but the right-hander’s first choice has been a long time coming anyway.
“I’ve basically watched the show every year since I was a kid,” he said, “so it’s cool to think back on it and realize that I can be a part of it, it’s really exciting.”
Schneider brought the team together for a brief meeting before Saturday’s 11-0 rout of the Seattle Mariners to announce the news, and Keys first thanked the club’s coaching staff as he addressed his teammates.
They are “the engine that keeps us all going without anyone realizing it,” he explained afterwards, helping keep him in good shape while he “throws a wider range of pitches more consistently,” which has led to his success.
Warland topped all AL relievers in player voting, finishing well ahead of Smith and Boston’s Aroldis Chapman for his first nod. On Friday, he saw a post on social media that his Star Banner had been hung in Philadelphia, but he didn’t allow himself to believe it until the official word came from Schneider.
“It kind of spoiled it a little bit,” he said, “but I think in the past people had banners and they didn’t make them, so I wasn’t totally into it. It’s not official until it comes out of Schneider’s mouth, so I was really just waiting for it.”
Now the word is official, Warland smiled when asked if he plans to lobby his ninth-inning manager in Philadelphia if the AL has the opportunity to block him.
“I would be honored to do it – although it’s not my decision, so I’ll let it happen,” he said. – But that would be very cool.