Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has John Schneider searching for answers, and Joe Maddon thinks the fix starts with making the game smaller.
The former Rays and Cubs manager jumped into the Blue Jays conversation this week with advice that hit right at Guerrero's current problem. Maddon said the first baseman is trying too hard and needs a different mindset at the plate.
That landed because it matches what Toronto has been watching. Guerrero has looked tight, rushed, and far too determined to solve everything with one swing.
Maddon's idea was not some complicated mechanical overhaul. It was simpler than that. He said Guerrero needs to minimize the goal per at-bat and stop trying to make everything big.
He even pointed to old examples from his own dugout. Maddon said he sometimes moved Anthony Rizzo and Evan Longoria to the top of the lineup during slumps just to change their perspective and loosen them up.
The message to those hitters was direct: use the middle of the field, get on base, see pitches, and let the rest come back naturally. Maddon said the relaxation usually followed.
Maddon's advice fits exactly where Guerrero is stuck
That is why this matters for Toronto. Guerrero has already admitted he does not feel right, and Schneider has said the slugger wants to be the guy who carries the club. Those two thoughts usually lead a hitter into trouble.
Maddon took it a step further by saying Guerrero is expanding the zone, making poor swing decisions, and falling into what he called «maybe mode.» That is a sharp way of describing a hitter who is caught between patience and panic.
The numbers behind it are ugly. Entering Friday, Guerrero had a .318 OPS in May and a -0.5 WAR for the month, the lowest marks of any position player in baseball, according to the Jays Journal summary of Maddon's appearance.
Since his last home run on April 20, he was hitting .218 over 21 games with only 2 doubles and a .555 OPS. Over his last 14 games in that stretch, he had no extra-base hits at all.
That is why Maddon's advice feels more useful than generic. He is not telling Guerrero to try harder. He is telling him to try easier, using the old George Brett line he brought up on air.
For Schneider, the real challenge is getting Guerrero back to that calmer version of himself. The Blue Jays do not need him chasing a heroic swing every trip to the plate. They need him seeing the ball, staying through the middle, and trusting that the loud contact will come back.
That is what makes Maddon's read so strong. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. does not look like a hitter who is lost forever. He looks like a hitter stuck in his own head, and Joe Maddon thinks the way out starts by making one at-bat feel smaller again.
Should the Blue Jays try a big lineup change to help Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reset?
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