SEATTLE — The power of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s brand and the Toronto Blue Jays’ reach is such that even amid his frustratingly mystifying down season, fans still voted him as the American League’s starting first baseman for the All-Star Game.
Guerrero will not go to Philadelphia for his sixth Midsummer Classic, saying Saturday that he needs to use the upcoming break to recuperate for the second half after playing through lower back issues for about a month. That will leave Ernie Clement, previously named to the squad as the AL’s top vote-getter, and fellow first-timers Dylan Cease and Louis Varland, both selected via the player ballot, to represent the Blue Jays.
Manager John Schneider and his coaching staff will run the all-star squad 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 add even more Canadian flavour to the contest.
Still, both Guerrero’s election and subsequent withdrawal are especially noteworthy given that he’s batting .265/.346/.346 with just four homers and 35 RBIs through 84 games, while missing five games after missing only 18 total from 2020 through 2025.
How much his back issues have impacted him at the plate is unclear, but while stressing how grateful he is to fans for selecting him, he said the break will be a chance to get his body right for the second half.
“Before I take a decision like this, I always talk to my family, some of the veteran guys here,” Guerrero said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “As you guys know, I’ve been having a little bit of issues with my lower back. That comes first, for me to get ready, to prepare myself for my team to have a strong second half. That was the main thing in my decision.”
Guerrero beat New York Yankees counterpart Ben Rice, enjoying a breakout season at .267/.362/.564 with 24 homers and 56 RBIs, by a margin of 58 per cent to 42 per cent in the second phase of balloting results.
It’s an unfathomably one-sided outcome given the disparity in their numbers and the voting process would have provided endless hot-take fodder through the All-Star Game’s content cycle.
At the same time, the result “points to him as a player, him as a person just in context with the game, really,” said manager John Schneider. “When people come to watch a baseball game, Vlad is one of those guys they come to see, for obvious reasons, and there are a lot of fans that like him, whether it’s in Canada or around the States or wherever. He’s one of the faces of the game … and the way the system works, people get to represent their feelings.”
In spite of that, Schneider described Guerrero’s decision to withdraw as “a sign of growing up.” They’d discussed it in recent days and Guerrero said he’s been thinking about it for the past week, having missed Tuesday’s game with back tightness before returning for Wednesday’s Canada Day contest.
And as important as it is to represent the fans’ decision, “he’s the face of our franchise and he understands how important he is to us and what we’re trying to accomplish,” said Schneider. “It shows maturity. Taking a little bit of a physical blow will be good for him and hopefully he puts his best foot forward for us after the break. He understands and respects how special it is to be voted in, but at the same time wants to do what’s best for the Jays, which I think is most important.”
Cease, meanwhile, finished second in the player voting for AL starting pitchers, trailing only Yankees ace Cam Schlittler, and with his final start before the break slated for Wednesday in San Francisco, he’ll get some consideration to start the Midsummer Classic. The various needs of other starters are a key factor there — Schlittler is obviously a leading candidate — but either way the first selection for the right-hander has been a long time coming.
“I’ve basically been watching every year since I was a kid,” he said, “so it’s cool to think back on that and to know that I’m able to play in it is really exciting.”
Schneider gathered the team for a quick meeting before Saturday’s 11-0 thumping from the Seattle Mariners to announce the news, and when addressing his teammates, the first thing Cease did was thank the club’s training staff.
They’re “an engine that makes us all go without anyone really realizing it,” he explained afterwards, helping to keep him in good condition while he’s “more consistently thrown a wider mix of pitches” that have led to his success.
Varland topped all AL relievers in the player voting, finishing well ahead of Smith and Boston’s Aroldis Chapman for his first nod. He saw social media posts Friday of his all-star banner being put up in Philadelphia but didn’t let himself believe it until official word came from Schneider.
“That kind of spoiled it a little bit,” he said, “but I guess in the past, people had banners and they didn’t make it so I wasn’t fully bought in on it. It’s not official until it comes from Schneider’s mouth, so I was really just waiting for that.”
Official word now in, Varland smiled when asked if he planned to lobby his manager for the ninth inning in Philadelphia, should the AL have a lead to lock down.
“It would be an honour to do it — it’s not my decision, though, so I’m going to let it play out,” he said. “But that would be pretty cool.”
SEATTLE — The power of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s brand and the Toronto Blue Jays’ reach is such that even amid his frustratingly mystifying down season, fans still voted him as the American League’s starting first baseman for the All-Star Game. Guerrero will not go to Philadelphia for his sixth Midsummer Classic, saying Saturday that he needs to Local
SEATTLE — The power of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s brand and the Toronto Blue Jays’ reach is such that even amid his frustratingly mystifying down season, fans still voted him as the American League’s starting first baseman for the All-Star Game.
Guerrero will not go to Philadelphia for his sixth Midsummer Classic, saying Saturday that he needs to use the upcoming break to recuperate for the second half after playing through lower back issues for about a month. That will leave Ernie Clement, previously named to the squad as the AL’s top vote-getter, and fellow first-timers Dylan Cease and Louis Varland, both selected via the player ballot, to represent the Blue Jays.
Manager John Schneider and his coaching staff will run the all-star squad 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 add even more Canadian flavour to the contest.
Still, both Guerrero’s election and subsequent withdrawal are especially noteworthy given that he’s batting .265/.346/.346 with just four homers and 35 RBIs through 84 games, while missing five games after missing only 18 total from 2020 through 2025.
How much his back issues have impacted him at the plate is unclear, but while stressing how grateful he is to fans for selecting him, he said the break will be a chance to get his body right for the second half.
“Before I take a decision like this, I always talk to my family, some of the veteran guys here,” Guerrero said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “As you guys know, I’ve been having a little bit of issues with my lower back. That comes first, for me to get ready, to prepare myself for my team to have a strong second half. That was the main thing in my decision.”
Guerrero beat New York Yankees counterpart Ben Rice, enjoying a breakout season at .267/.362/.564 with 24 homers and 56 RBIs, by a margin of 58 per cent to 42 per cent in the second phase of balloting results.
It’s an unfathomably one-sided outcome given the disparity in their numbers and the voting process would have provided endless hot-take fodder through the All-Star Game’s content cycle.
At the same time, the result “points to him as a player, him as a person just in context with the game, really,” said manager John Schneider. “When people come to watch a baseball game, Vlad is one of those guys they come to see, for obvious reasons, and there are a lot of fans that like him, whether it’s in Canada or around the States or wherever. He’s one of the faces of the game … and the way the system works, people get to represent their feelings.”
In spite of that, Schneider described Guerrero’s decision to withdraw as “a sign of growing up.” They’d discussed it in recent days and Guerrero said he’s been thinking about it for the past week, having missed Tuesday’s game with back tightness before returning for Wednesday’s Canada Day contest.
And as important as it is to represent the fans’ decision, “he’s the face of our franchise and he understands how important he is to us and what we’re trying to accomplish,” said Schneider. “It shows maturity. Taking a little bit of a physical blow will be good for him and hopefully he puts his best foot forward for us after the break. He understands and respects how special it is to be voted in, but at the same time wants to do what’s best for the Jays, which I think is most important.”
Cease, meanwhile, finished second in the player voting for AL starting pitchers, trailing only Yankees ace Cam Schlittler, and with his final start before the break slated for Wednesday in San Francisco, he’ll get some consideration to start the Midsummer Classic. The various needs of other starters are a key factor there — Schlittler is obviously a leading candidate — but either way the first selection for the right-hander has been a long time coming.
“I’ve basically been watching every year since I was a kid,” he said, “so it’s cool to think back on that and to know that I’m able to play in it is really exciting.”
Schneider gathered the team for a quick meeting before Saturday’s 11-0 thumping from the Seattle Mariners to announce the news, and when addressing his teammates, the first thing Cease did was thank the club’s training staff.
They’re “an engine that makes us all go without anyone really realizing it,” he explained afterwards, helping to keep him in good condition while he’s “more consistently thrown a wider mix of pitches” that have led to his success.
Varland topped all AL relievers in the player voting, finishing well ahead of Smith and Boston’s Aroldis Chapman for his first nod. He saw social media posts Friday of his all-star banner being put up in Philadelphia but didn’t let himself believe it until official word came from Schneider.
“That kind of spoiled it a little bit,” he said, “but I guess in the past, people had banners and they didn’t make it so I wasn’t fully bought in on it. It’s not official until it comes from Schneider’s mouth, so I was really just waiting for that.”
Official word now in, Varland smiled when asked if he planned to lobby his manager for the ninth inning in Philadelphia, should the AL have a lead to lock down.
“It would be an honour to do it — it’s not my decision, though, so I’m going to let it play out,” he said. “But that would be pretty cool.”