Toronto Blue Jays Have More All-Star Candidates Than You Might Think
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It seems like just yesterday that the first pitch of Opening Day was thrown, but everyone blinked, and it is now the first week of June. All-Star voting has commenced, and for those who don't know, the position players are picked by the fans.
So, this means that some players might get on by their name rather than their merit, which could bode well for the Toronto Blue Jays. In a sense, as big-name sluggers, specifically Vladimir Guerrero Jr., could make it through at least the first round on their name alone.
However, he isn't any of the names that first come to mind when thinking of who is performing at an All-Star level this season:
- 2B Ernie Clement
- 3B Kazuma Okamoto
- Starting Pitcher Dylan Cease
- Relief Pitcher Louis Varland
It is also on the easier side to make cases for both outfielders, Nathan Lukes and Jesus Sanchez. However, Lukes could quite frankly have missed too much time on the IL, while Sanchez doesn't have a fanbase of the same magnitude as somebody like Aaron Judge.
Unfortunately, neither of those things necessarily should matter, but when the roster is solely in the hands of the fans, it becomes much less predictable.
Making a Case For Toronto's Best
Clement is quietly having one of the best offensive seasons in baseball right now at any position as he leads the majors in doubles with the third-most hits in either division of the American League. He is also hitting over .300 on the year.
His hiccup, unexplainably, has been defensive, but since the Tampa Bay Rays series down in Florida, where he tallied another error to his name, he has looked entirely different. If that continues, he is a shoo-in.
While the position players all have their fate in the hands of those on the outside, the pitching staff is decided differently. Ultimately, this will favor the two Jays' arms that are a consistent highlight reel as both Varland and Cease should take the mound.
Louis Varland is quietly having one of the best reliever seasons EVER
— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) June 1, 2026
31 innings
42 K
0.29 ERA
HIS ERA+ is 1509❗️❗️❗️ pic.twitter.com/vfsJBEf0Cf
Okamoto, on the other hand, is still adjusting to the majors, which makes him look incredibly streaky, but when he is on, he's out-slugging the best of them. He has logged 13 homers and 35 RBI at this point, which puts him right in the thick of the third baseman race to his first inevitable All-Star selection.
The pitching staff in its entirety is chosen by the players and the commissioners, so the stats will speak for themselves. So, since Varland hasn't allowed a run in six weeks, and Cease is in early Cy Young conversations, it seems likely that at least one will take the hill.
A calendar year ago, the Jays trotted out both Alejandro Kirk and Guerrero Jr. into the All-Star game, but Kirk definitely won't be playing with his two-month stint on IL, and Guerrero's production has rapidly diminished his chances.
But others have shone this year, and Toronto should not be without when the day rolls around.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.