MLB All-Star voting draws backlash ahead of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. decision
The MLB has revealed this year’s selections for the American and National League All-Star Game starters, based on fan voting, with some of the biggest names in baseball earning spots on the rosters.
For the American League, four Blue Jays players made it onto this year’s roster, with Ernie Clement as the top vote-getter in the AL. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and their teammates, pitchers Louis Varland and Dylan Cease, round out their four selections.
For Guerrero, this marks the slugger’s sixth All-Star selection, and his fifth time in six years he’s been voted as the starting first baseman in the annual baseball game.
However, his selection prompted much fan criticism over MLB’s X announcement, with many suggesting he’s undeserving of a spot due to his performance and stats.
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“Bros stats are legitimately so much worse than Willson Contreras. The fan voting is a [expletive] joke @MLB shame on you,” a commenter wrote on X.
“This is a joke….and I’m a lifelong Blue Jays fan. This guy has no business being in an All Star game with the season he is having. Stupid fan voting,” someone else commented.
Another commenter said, “So this is the year we realize that the voting system needs a total overhaul right?”
Others wrote, “Ain’t even a top 5 first baseman in his own division,” and “Over Kurtz and Ben Rice is a little hilarious.”
As of this writing, Guerrero Jr. has a .265 batting average, 82 hits, four home runs, and 35 RBI in 84 games for the 42-47 Blue Jays. Arguably, he could still finish with a strong season, as he finished 2025 with 23 home runs and 2024 with 30 home runs.
Amid the fan debates and online backlash, news arrived that Guerrero Jr. will not participate in this year’s game, seeming to open up another roster spot. The Blue Jays star turned down the invite so he can recuperate from “discomfort in the back,” per Hazel Mae’s report.
Of note, the Oakland Athletics’ Nick Kurtz and the New York Yankees’ Ben Rice received reserve spots on the American League team.
At least one fan in the MLB’s X comments suggested that the Detroit Tigers’ Spencer Torkelson is also having a better season than Guerrero Jr. currently. Although three Tigers players are among the reserves, Torkelson isn’t.
All of the professional sports All-Star games typically involve fan voting for at least the starters, and that allows for a popularity contest based on who the fans want to see. With Guerrero Jr. out, Kurtz will take over his starting spot, but it should be interesting to see which player gets the open spot.
The 2026 MLB All-Star Game takes place on July 14 at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.
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