Vlad Jr. named starting 1B in 5th ASG – and he’s over halfway to Dad’s total

TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has always said that one of his goals in Major League Baseball is to make more All-Star Games than his father, the Hall of Famer who played in nine.

Well, he’s halfway there.

Guerrero was named the American League starter at first base for the 2025 All-Star Game on Wednesday night, already marking his fifth trip at just 26. His famous father didn’t make his fifth All-Star Game until his age-29 season, his first with the Angels after starring with the Expos. Sure, Vladdy’s big goal is to take a 1-0 lead over his father in World Series rings, but this is a start.

“I’m very happy,” Guerrero said through club interpreter Hector Lebron. “Very happy and very proud, especially now that my daughter can go to another All-Star Game and the rest of my family can enjoy it, as well.”

Guerrero is the undisputed face of the franchise now, fresh off the 14-year, $500 million extension he signed earlier this season that sets him on a path to be the greatest Blue Jays player of all-time if everything goes according to plan. There was such a sense of relief when that deal got done, not only to put the nonstop news cycle to bed, but to frame who the Blue Jays will be. Everything orbits around Guerrero now.

“I love our Blue Jays fans; they have supported me my whole career and made me feel appreciated every day,” Guerrero said when he inked the historic deal. “My family and I have a special connection to our second home in Toronto, and I feel fortunate to carry on my dad’s legacy and represent an entire country. I am very proud to wear the maple leaf and to be part of an organization with the same goal -- to bring World Series championships back to Canada.”

That’s the connection he’s trying to forge with this market and his fans. As a young boy, Guerrero would bounce around his father’s All-Star trips, just a kid among the stars he’d someday join. Now, he wants the same for the next generation of Guerreros, one of the game’s great baseball families.

We’ve seen a good version of Guerrero this season, but not his best yet. It’s a testament to Guerrero’s gifts that even his “good” is enough to propel him to the All-Star Game, but with a .278 average, 12 home runs and an .829 OPS, everyone knows there’s more in there. Around this time last season, Guerrero was cranking up one of the most dominant stretches of his career, and it feels like he’s about to round into that form again.

That’s part of what makes this team and the weeks ahead so full of potential. The Blue Jays are chasing the AL East crown and playing fantastic baseball recently, but they’re doing it all without Anthony Santander (IL), Daulton Varsho (IL) and the best version of Vladdy. Once Guerrero goes from good to great, this entire organization will follow.

Last year, Guerrero was the Blue Jays’ lone representative at the All-Star Game, but he could have some company in 2025. While Guerrero is now locked into a spot before All-Star reserves are announced on Sunday, Alejandro Kirk’s great year has put him in prime position to be named to the AL squad. If it weren’t for Cal Raleigh of the Mariners launching a whopping 33 home runs already, Kirk is having a season worthy of starting in this game, himself. Kirk was comfortably in second when Phase 1 voting wrapped up.

George Springer has been building a case in the outfield, too, and made a major statement against the Yankees on Tuesday with a two-homer day, which included a grand slam and a career-high seven RBIs. Addison Barger is in the race at third base while Bo Bichette, a veteran of two All-Star Games, finished fourth in Phase 1 voting at shortstop.

Everyone is chasing a seat on the plane next to Guerrero, though, and that’s how it’s going to be in Toronto for years to come.