Several conclusions could be reached following the first All-Star Game voting bulletin that was revealed this week. One point that stands out is the energy behind the youth movement in the majors. The vote leader so far is the Dominican slugger of the Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In addition, with the popularity of the Venezuelan outfielder of the Braves, Ronald Acuña Jr. (second) and the Dominican Fernando Tatis Jr. (fourth), three of the four leaders in the voting so far are 23 or younger.
We’ve seen quite a few young figures at the Mid-Season Classic in the past, but this trio could set two notable records.
The youngest vote leader
Guerrero, Acuña or Tatis could be the youngest vote leader since fans were allowed to pick the starters again in 1970. Four players have achieved the highest overall total at 24 years old at the time of the All-Star Game, being That’s the current record: Bryce Harper in 2017, Ken Griffey Jr. in 1994, Darryl Strawberry in 1986 and Jonny Bench in 1972.
Guerrero and Tatis with 22 years or Acuña with 23 would surpass this mark and by far. An exciting fact to watch out for is which one of them will set the record. Rarely have a player this young captivated the entire baseball world at such a young age, but that is exactly what was anticipated from each of these figures.
The first four under 24 years
It’s not just about the fact that any one of these three players would be the youngest vote leader. It also stands out that all three are in contention. Since 1996, there has been just one year in which more than one of the top four in the voting was 23 or younger at the time of the Midseason Classic.
It happened in 2015, with 23-year-old Mike Trout and 22-year-old Harper. But those were just two of the four leading votes. If the current top four remain with Guerrero, Acuña, Trout and Tatis, that would be three of the top four under 24 years old. That’s something that hasn’t been seen since at least 1996.
The youngest headlines
If 24-year-olds are included, the first 2021 voting bulletin featured five players under the age of 25 in position to start – with Ozzie Albies from Curaçao and Rafael Devers from the Dominican Republic accompanying all three. Of course, there is still plenty of time left in the voting and the current positions do not guarantee the final result. But at least it inspires curiosity.
Only two All-Star Games have featured at least five under-25 position holders: 2016 and 1955. The 2016 game featured seven: Manny Machado, Kris Bryant and 24-year-old Trout, plus Harper, Mookie Betts and Xander. Bogaerts with 23 and Addison Russell with 22.
In the 1955 edition, it was Ernie Banks and Harvey Kuenn at 24, Mickey Mantle and Eddie Mathews at 23 and Al Kaline at 20.
The youth movement is here to stay
The whole voting landscape could change with the next bulletin, but it would be hard to believe that Guerrero, Acuña and Tatis are not still among the first. If any one of them is the overall vote leader, they will be the youngest to do so since 1970. And if each of the three remains in the top four, we could see even more history in the future.
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