Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr seems to be in some big trouble
Photo credit: KGET.com
The Toronto Blue Jays are currently having one of their best stretches of baseball in the last 10 years but that isn't necessarily the case for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The Blue Jays have been unstoppable lately as they just won their fifth series in a row against the St Louis Cardinals after another sweep putting them 3.5 games behind the first place New York Yankees.
Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr still having some trouble at the plate
Guerrero entered the season with a lot of expectations after signing a deal worth $500 million for the third largest contract in the MLB but has not been playing up to that standard so far.
Over the last couple of week, Guerrero has a .294 batting average with a .390 on base percentage which is not bad but it actually below their team average of .303 and .357 which is being carried by players like George Springer, Addison Barger and Alejandro Kirk.
While he's produced a .294/.390/.431 line since May 28, that's significantly lower than the MLB-best .303/.357/.514 Toronto has managed as a team.
That's not an issue as long as guys like Alejandro Kirk, George Springer and Addison Barger are cooking, but that trio - and the rest of the Blue Jays lineup - can't be counted on to keep up their stellar pace. -Ashbourne
That's not an issue as long as guys like Alejandro Kirk, George Springer and Addison Barger are cooking, but that trio - and the rest of the Blue Jays lineup - can't be counted on to keep up their stellar pace. -Ashbourne
While Guerrero is not necessarily playing bad, he is simply not playing up to the standard he was paid for with his massive new deal which is where the problem is.
If the Blue Jays want to make a real push for first place and continue to dominate the way they have been, they need Guerrero to be the player he was last season because the average players that are on a high right now might not be able to keep this up.
For Toronto to continue enjoying the kind of success it has had lately, at a certain point, the team will need something closer to peak Vladdy. -Ashbourne
The biggest issue seems to be that Guerrero has not had the power to go to the opposite field this year which is where he is getting a lot of his outs lately.
A closer look shows that the direction of his hits is playing a role. Back during Guerrero's down 2023 season, he had issues with hitting long harmless flyballs to centre field.
This year, he's run into difficulty by putting an uncomfortable number of balls the other way. -Ashbourne
This year, he's run into difficulty by putting an uncomfortable number of balls the other way. -Ashbourne
The Blue Jays will definitely need Guerrero at the top of his game in the second half of the season if they want to win their first playoff series in close to a decade.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 12 | 2783 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr seems to be in some big trouble Will Vladimir Guerrero Jr be able to find his rhythm? | ||
| Yes | 1987 | 71.4 % |
| No | 796 | 28.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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