4 Blue Jays to represent Toronto in All-Star Game

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays are sending four All-Stars to Seattle for the Midsummer Classic.

Kevin Gausman, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Whit Merrifield were all announced Sunday as All-Stars, which will send them to T-Mobile Park for the 2023 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on July 11. Guerrero has also committed to the Home Run Derby for the first time since his rookie year in 2019, when he set a Derby record with 91 homers.

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: July 11 on FOX

“This is number three. I just need six more to tie my dad,” Guerrero said through a club interpreter. “If that happens, great. If I can get seven more, even better.”

This will be the second All-Star Game appearance for Gausman and Bichette, and the third for both Guerrero and Merrifield.

The pitchers and reserves announced on Sunday for the AL and NL -- totaling 23 players for each side -- were determined via “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the Commissioner’s Office. Guerrero, Bichette and Merrifield advanced to Phase 2 of fan voting, but were not selected for starting roles.

The Blue Jays had plenty of other candidates, too, as both Matt Chapman and Kevin Kiermaier also advanced to Phase 2 of voting last week.

• Here are the 2023 All-Star rosters

In the bullpen, the Blue Jays had Jordan Romano vying for his second career All-Star nod. Romano is tied for the league lead with 24 saves this season, and could take a run at Duane Ward’s club record of 45 (1993). Tim Mayza was another candidate and earned an endorsement from manager John Schneider in a recent press conference after posting a 1.27 ERA over 39 appearances this season for the Blue Jays.

Here are the four All-Stars and their reactions:

1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Outside of catching his father, Guerrero is one who will embrace the All-Star experience with open arms. There’s hope that his participation in the Home Run Derby can crack open his power stroke, too, after a slow start to the season.

“I want to spend time with superstars,” Guerrero said. “I admire all of these players. Mike Trout, I might have a chance to meet with him, talk to him, to be in the same clubhouse with him and also Shohei Ohtani. To be with superstars like that, it means a lot to me. That’s something that I take with me every year I go.”

SS Bo Bichette
Bichette went to the All-Star Game in 2021, which was his first full-length season in the big leagues after debuting in ‘19 and the COVID-shortened ‘20. This time, Bichette plans to better embrace the experience and “have gratitude towards the situation.”

“I think I probably took the first one for granted a little bit, thinking I’d be there all the time,” Bichette said. “After not making the last one, it feels good to go. I feel grateful. I feel blessed and thankful.”

RHP Kevin Gausman
Whether Gausman pitches in this All-Star Game after not appearing in his first one remains to be seen, and his heavy workload will be factored in. Regardless, Gausman has earned every bit of this honor, pitching to a 3.04 ERA and leading the American League in strikeouts (146) as the Blue Jays’ workhorse.

“In 2021 I definitely should have been an All-Star, without a doubt,” Gausman said. “This year, I kind of think that way, too. So I’m glad that both times I should have been, I am. Unfortunately, some guys have incredible first halves and aren’t All-Stars. I’m just lucky enough that the managers and players voted me in. It’s an incredible honor and I definitely don’t take it lightly.”

2B Whit Merrifield
Merrifield is such an important part of this team not only for his production, but for his ability to play multiple positions at a high level. He expressed his appreciation for Blue Jays fans across Canada for their support throughout the All-Star process and all season long, but has a special appreciation for how he was voted in.

“It’s exciting in a couple of senses,” Merrifield said. “That my peers voted me in is really special. It’s guys that we share the field with who think enough of me to vote me into the All-Star Game. That means a ton. Coming off the struggles I went through last year, to do enough to get into this game, it means a lot to me.”