Two Cleveland Guardians Stars Are Finalists In All-Star Voting
Cleveland Guardians stars Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez have advanced to the second phase of MLB All-Star voting and have a chance to be punched in as starters for the July 16 affair.
Kwan finished top five in voting for American League outfielders. New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge earned the most votes of any AL player, so he has automatically been named a starter. Kwan will now be competing with Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker and Anthony Santander for the final two starting outfield spots.
Meanwhile, Ramirez is in the top two in voting for AL third basemen. He will be competing Baltimore Orioles standout Jordan Westburg for the starting gig.
Kwan is enjoying a breakout campaign, slashing .377/.436/.552 with seven home runs and 24 RBI over 235 plate appearances. He he was batting close to .400 for a while, but a small slide recently has seen his average dip.
The 26-year-old has also been brilliant defensively, boasting a 10.5 UZR/150 and 6 DRS thus far this season.
Meanwhile, Ramirez is vying for his sixth All-Star appearance. However, he has not started in a midsummer classic since 2018.
Ramirez is slashing .275/.330/.540 with 21 homers and 72 RBI across 330 trips to the dish in 2024. While he hasn't been quite as phenomenal as Kwan with the glove, he has still been very good, laying claim to a 3.5 UZR/150.
The Guardians entered Thursday night's action with the best record in the American League at 51-27. They saw their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Orioles on Wednesday, but they still hold a very comfortable 7.5 game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.
Cleveland opened up a four-game series with the division-rival Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT