The Blue Jays have been playing very well lately but they are still trying to make certain adjustments to their lineup as they look to keep improving as the season goes on.
Blue Jays uncertain if they shoulder have Vladimir Guerrero Jr hit second or third in the lineup
The Blue Jays had Guerrero hitting third in the order behind Bo Bichette and Addison Barger in yesterday 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks which clearly paid off with the back to back homeruns hit in the ninth inning to win the game.
Pushing the star first baseman down a spot in the lineup, with Addison Barger moving between him and leadoff man Bo Bichette, paid off when he produced a 3-for-4 night that included his first home run since May 29. -Davidi
Guerrero's number when hitting third in the lineup are clearly much better as he has a .300 batting average and .377 on base percentage compared to a .265 batting average and .345 on base percentage when hitting second.
Guerrero's career numbers in the three-hole are now .300/.377/.538 in 2,188 plate appearances, compared to .265/.345/.429 in 1,075 plate appearances while hitting second, a sample size big enough that it can't simply be ignored. -Davidi
The issue with Guerrero batting third is that late in the game as fans saw last night, Guerrero could end up getting stranded on deck when they need him most.
At the same time, Guerrero has stated that he prefers batting third instead of second because it gives him more time at the start of the game to gauge the opposing starting pitcher.
Guerrero has long said he prefers batting third to second, giving him an extra batter to gauge the starter, which on Tuesday was Brandon Pfaadt, before stepping in. -Davidi
If Bichette and Barger continue to hit this well, it would make sense for the Blue Jays to keep this order with Guerrero hitting third but only time will tell if this is the right recipe.