July has begun, which means the All-Star game is just right around the corner. The All-Star game is an exciting exhibition game between the American League and National League. While nothing is at stake, it gives the fans a chance to see some of the very best players in the sport play in one game. It’s also a way of rewarding players that have had incredible first halves of the season. The starting lineups were announced on July 1st and the Blue Jays have a league-leading three players in the starting lineup – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Marcus Semien, and Teoscar Hernández.
The players that are selected to be in the starting lineups are voted on by the fans, so it does become a bit of a popularity contest, but most of the players that were voted in have had great seasons so far and are deserving of the nomination. It was announced Sunday evening that Bo Bichette will also be going to the All-Star game as a reserve. Reserve players are additional, non-starting All-Stars that are chosen through a group effort between the player ballot and the Commissioner’s Office.
The Jays will have four All-Star position players at this year’s Midsummer Classic for the first time since 1993, when they had five. Also, with the Jays having three All-Stars start the game, it ties the Jays’ franchise record for the most players voted as an All-Star starter. This has only been done one other time, also in 93’, when Alomar, Carter, and Olerud were selected as All-Star game starters.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made history as the youngest player ever to lead MLB in All-Star voting. After phase one of the voting, Guerrero received a total of 2,704,788 votes, at just the age of 22. Vladdy has been on a tear during the first half of the season: he is hitting .338/.438/.671, is currently second in the majors in homeruns with 27, and first in the majors in RBI with 69. This is the type of player that people were expecting since his debut, and it is great to see that all the hard work that he put in during the offseason pay off. As long as he remains healthy, it is very likely that he will be fighting for an MVP and possibly even the triple crown.
The signing of Marcus Semien has been one of, if not the, best signings by any team in the offseason. Of course the big deals like Springer, or Realmuto with the Phillies were great too, but in terms of the contract and the value Semien has brought to the Jays, it has been second to none. The Jays signed Semien to only a one-year $18 million deal, and he has been an extremely important addition to the team. When the Jays signed him, they were hoping he would bounce back from a poor 2020 season, and be more like the 2019 version of himself that finished third in MVP voting. And boy has he ever bounced back. Semien is hitting .286/.349/.542, with 21 homeruns, and 54 RBI. For comparison, in his MVP-calibre season in 2019 with the A’s, prior to the All-Star break, Semien hit .271/.349/.448 with 14 homeruns, and 48 RBI. He has been even better than what he was in 2019, and has been a very important and stabilizing player for the Jays in the leadoff spot.
Teoscar Hernández is having another great season and is definitely worthy of being an All-Star starter. With the help of Cleveland’s third baseman José Ramírez encouraging his fans to vote for Teoscar, he was able to surpass Twins’ star centre fielder Bryon Buxton by 5000 votes at the very end to earn the nomination. Hernández struggled at the start of the season, and then went on the IL with COVID. Since returning from the IL at the end of April, he has been the impactful middle-of-the-order bat that the Jays were hoping for. He is continuing the success that he had last season as he is hitting .294/.355/.475, with 11 homeruns and 47 RBI. People were wondering if his success last year was just a result of a shortened season, or if Teoscar had turned a corner, and so far, it looks like he is the real deal. If he is able to keep this up, he could become of one the best power hitters in the league.
Bo Bichette is having a great season as well, and may be getting overlooked a little because of the monstrous season that Vladdy is having. Bo leads the team in runs scored with 68 and only has two less hits than Guerrero. Bichette is hitting .290/.340/.479, with 15 homeruns and 54 RBI. He was runner-up to Xander Bogarts of the Red Sox in the fan voting to be a starter, but thankfully will still be going as a reserve, and deservedly so.
Semien, Bichette, Guerrero, and Hernández have spent a majority of the season hitting in this very order, and have been one of the best group of hitters in baseball. Each of them have worked extremely hard to get to where they are today, and they are seeing the fruits of their labour. While the game itself may not have anything at stake, what it means to be an All-Star to each of these men can not be understated. Their hard work is paying off, and for the first time in each of their careers, they are All-Stars.