Vladimir Guerrero Jr. among five Blue Jays advancing to final ASG voting phase

More than a few Toronto Blue Jays players could be travelling to Seattle for next month’s All-Star festivities.

With the opening round of fan voting wrapped, Major League Baseball revealed the results of the first phase, which will see five Blue Jays – including first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield, Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman and Kevin Kiermaier – advancing to the final round.

The top two players at each position who received the most votes moved on, and while that would’ve also included Brandon Belt, Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani finished as the American League’s leading vote-getter, automatically making him the starting designated hitter.

Guerrero, a two-time All-Star and the 2021 All-Star Game MVP, is hitting .275/.345/.423 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and a 115 wRC+ across 73 games this season, worth 0.3 fWAR. The 24-year-old also participated in the 2019 Home Run Derby, where he lost in the final round to New York’s Pete Alonso.

Merrifield, a two-time All-Star himself, is hitting .298/.355/.383 with two home runs, 29 RBIs and a 110 wRC+ in 68 games, worth 1.3 fWAR. The 34-year-old was acquired by the Blue Jays in a midseason trade in 2022.

Bichette, who starred alongside Vladdy during the 2021 event, has been among the sport’s top hitters in 2023, slashing .317/.347/.505 with a team-leading 14 home runs, 46 RBIs and a 137 wRC+ over 75 games, worth 2.8 fWAR.

Chapman, whose long All-Star appearance came in 2019 with Oakland, is hitting .269/.349/.472 with 10 home runs, 35 RBIs and a 128 wRC+ in 73 games, worth 2.4 fWAR.

Kiermaier has never been selected to an All-Star Game despite being a three-time Gold Glove Award winner and a Platinum Glove recipient. The 33-year-old, signed to a one-year deal worth $9 million, carries a .274/.329/.432 slash line with four home runs, 17 RBIs and a 111 wRC+ across 63 games, worth 1.6 fWAR.

The final voting phase runs June 26-29, with the results expected to be announced shortly afterwards.