Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Leading AL 1st Base Ballot for 2026 All-Star Game Has Fans Losing It: “Does Not Deserve to Be There”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has made 5 All-Star appearances in his career since making his debut in the MLB in 2019.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Leading AL 1st Base Ballot for 2026 All-Star Game Has Fans Losing It: “Does Not Deserve to Be There”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Image via X/@TalkinBaseball_)

As June reaches its halfway stage, voting for the 2026 All-Star Game has begun. As per the recent results, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is leading the race for the American League 1st base position. This has not sat well with fans on social media.

The Toronto Blue Jays superstar is one of the best in the baseball business. Since his debut in 2019, he has picked up 5 All-Star nominations and has represented the American League in all of them.

On Monday, the MLB announced the results of the first voting. In the first base spot for the AL team, Guerrero Jr. found his name at the top with 603,014 votes. Behind him is New York Yankees’ star Ben Rice at 509,830 votes.

This is something that surprised a lot of fans on social media. At the moment, the Blue Jays and Guerrero Jr. are not having a good time, especially compared to their form last season, when they reached the World Series.

Last year, the Canadian side finished top of the AL East standings ahead of the Yankees. They then took them down in the American League Division Series (ALDS) before eliminating the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS).

In the Fall Classic, they were two outs away in Game 7 from winning their first championship since 1993. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers came back and repeated as champions to break the hearts of Guerrero Jr. and his team.

The Dominican international had 8 home runs and 15 RBIs in 18 postseason games last year. With his .397 batting average, he would have won the World Series MVP honor had the Blue Jays won.

This year, Guerrero Jr. has just 3 home runs and 27 RBIs in 68 games. Though he has a .280 average, his home run slump has affected the Blue Jays. As of Monday, they are 34-38, 10 games behind the Yankees.

Meanwhile, Ben Rice has a .293 average, .387 OPS with 19 home runs and 47 RBIs in 65 games. So statistically, he has been better than Guerrero Jr. this season.

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Social media reactions towards Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leading AL 1st base ballot for 2026 All-Star Game

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has found himself in contention for an appearance in the 2026 All-Star Game. Despite not being at his best this year, the player finds himself at the top of the votes for the 1st base position in the American League team.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Image via Fox News)

Several users on X were not pleased to see this. Many of them took a shot at the Dominican-Canadian star. One user wrote, “does not deserve to be there,” while making their feelings known.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

Speaking of the All-Star Game, this year, the game will be played on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. It will be the 96th edition of the event, with John Schneider of the Blue Jays and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers leading the American League and the National League, respectively.

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Who are the other contenders for the 1st base position in the American League apart from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ben Rice?

On Monday, it was revealed that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was leading the race for the 1st base position in the AL team for the upcoming All-Star Game. Ben Rice was behind him in second place. Apart from them, there are a few more big names on this list.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ben Rice
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ben Rice (Image via X/@MLB/X/@YanksGoYardFS)

One player who has taken the 2026 season by storm is Munetaka Murakami. The Japanese international has played a huge part in the rise of the Chicago White Sox this year. While he is injured at the moment, he has 20 home runs this season.

Behind him in 4th place is Nick Kurtz. The Athletics star has been one of the top performers for the AL West side this season. His .443 OBP is the best in the entire MLB.

Other names on this list are Pete Alonso, who could make his first appearance in this game as an American League star, Willson Contreras, Josh Naylor, Jonathan Aranda, Christian Walker, and Spencer Torkelson.

Here is the complete list with the total number of votes below:

  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays: 603,014
  • Ben Rice, New York Yankees: 509,830
  • Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox: 437,107
  • Nick Kurtz, Athletics: 269,658
  • Pete Alonso, Baltimore Orioles: 202,781
  • Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox: 177,884
  • Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners: 125,485
  • Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays: 115,412
  • Christian Walker, Houston Astros: 95,577
  • Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers: 85,880

The first-phase voting will conclude on June 25. The second phase of this will begin on June 29 and will conclude on July 2.

Last year, the National League defeated the American League in a historic fashion. The NL side took down their counterparts in a first-ever swing-off contest after the game finished 6-6.

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