Willson Contreras was originally snubbed from the All-Star Game, but he has been named a replacement for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Guerrero, almost immediately after his selection to the All-Star Game, made it known that he was not going to play, opting to rest and recover. Contreras, Ben Rice and Nick Kurtz were the three first basemen who made the initial cut, and now Contreras gets his flowers.
Contreras has 20 home runs on the season and has been one of the best hitters in the American League. It was a shock that he did not make it in originally. Contreras has a better fWAR, batting average and on-base percentage than Rice and Guerrero. He also has a better batting average than Kurtz. Contreras has 20 home runs, tied with Kurtz and five shy of Rice.
Contreras is slashing .284/.378/.542 in 86 games this season. The Red Sox acquired him via trade in the offseason, and even though the season has not gone as expected, Contreras has given the Red Sox the power bat they were searching for.
Contreras already has three All-Star selections under his belt. This will be his first All-Star Game since 2022, when he was with the Chicago Cubs. He was not named an All-Star while he was with the Cardinals, but it is where he started playing first base full-time. He has fixed what was a revolving door at first base for the Red Sox last year. He is doing more than just hitting, however. He is playing solid defense as well.