CINCINNATI — The statue building continues.
For the first time in 22 years, a Padres player has been voted into the National League All-Star team's starting lineup.
Fernando Tatis Jr. was announced as the NL's starting shortstop Thursday night, the first Padres player voted in by fans since Tony Gwynn in 1999.
Tatis received 64% of the final vote to beat out Javier Baez of the Cubs (19%) and Brandon Crawford from the Giants (17%).
The reserves on this year's All-Star rosters will be announced at 2:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.
The honor of starting the July 13 game at Coors Field is the latest step for the 22-year-old Tatis toward what he and the Padres anticipate will be a legacy that merits him joining Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman in being immortalized by a statue at Petco Park.
A "statue contract" is what Padres general manager A.J. Preller called Tatis' 14-year, $340 million contract signed in February. Tatis embraced the term.
Tatis began Thursday leading the National League with 26 home runs and a 1.092 OPS. He is tied for second with 16 stolen bases. He is also tied for the lead in RBIs and is second in runs scored despite spending 17 games on the injured list due, first, to a dislocated left shoulder and then to COVID-19.
Gwynn did not participate in the '99 All-Star Game because of injury. So, his start in '98 was the last by a Padres position player in the game.
Wil Myers was named by National League manager Terry Collins as the NL's designated hitter in the 2016 game at Petco Park.
Closers Brad Hand (2017 and '18) and Kirby Yates ('19) have been the Padres' lone All-Star representative the past three years the game was played. There was no All-Star Game in 2020.
Since 2000, 17 of the 27 Padres named to the All-Star team have been pitchers.
Gwynn was named to 15 All-Star teams, starting 12 of those games. Hoffman was named to six All-Star teams with the Padres.
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Other starters
NATIONAL LEAGUE
C: Buster Posey, Giants
1B: Freddie Freeman, Braves
2B: Adam Frazier, Pirates
3B: Nolan Arenado, Cardinals
OF: Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves; Nick Castellanos, Reds; Jesse Winker, Reds
AMERICAN LEAGUE
C: Salvador Perez, Royals
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
2B: Marcus Semien, Blue Jays
SS: Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox
3B: Rafael Devers, Red Sox
OF: Teoscar Hernandez, Blue Jays; Aaron Judge, Yankees; Mike Trout, Angels (injured)
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Angels
It's been awhile
Here are the Padres position players who have been named to start All-Star Games:
1979: Dave Winfield
1984: Steve Garvey, Tony Gwynn
1985: Garvey, Gwynn, Terry Kennedy, Graig Nettles
1986: Gwynn
1989: Gwynn
1990: Benito Santiago (DNP, injured)
1991: Gwynn, Santiago
1992: Gwynn, Fred McGriff, Santiago
1994: Gwynn
1995: Gwynn
1996: Gwynn (DNP, injured)
1997: Ken Caminiti, Gwynn
1998: Gwynn
1999: Gwynn (DNP, injured)
2016: Wil Myers (manager selection)
2021: Fernando Tatis Jr.
