Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s first game back from the All-Star break looked a lot like the rest of his season, hard contact with little to show for it.
Per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Guerrero put three balls in play with exit velocities north of 105 mph, but came away with just one single.
That's the frustrating pattern that's defined this stretch. The ball is coming off his bat hard, but the results keep landing in gloves instead of gaps.
Guerrero is hitting .259 this season with six home runs across 92 games, numbers that remain well below his usual standard.
July hasn't offered the turnaround everyone's been waiting for either. Through 11 games this month, he's slashing .220/.333/.415 with two doubles, two homers, six runs and seven RBIs.
Somehow, he's still without a single home run at Rogers Centre this season, a stunning drought for a hitter in his own home ballpark.
That last detail says as much as any advanced metric could. A power hitter can't find one homer in front of his own fans through more than half a season.
Why hard contact isn't translating into results
Exit velocity readings like the ones from Tuesday usually signal better luck is coming, the kind of quality contact that tends to find grass eventually.
But "eventually" has been the theme of this entire season for Guerrero, and patience is wearing thin around a fan base that remembers what he's capable of.
John Schneider has already made clear the lineup needs more slug from its core pieces, and Guerrero remains the biggest name still searching for his.
It's a bit like watching someone consistently hit the crossbar instead of the net, technique clearly there, finishing nowhere to be found.
Does the exit velocity data mean better results are truly coming, or has Guerrero's season settled into a new normal that no longer resembles his peak?
Toronto needs him to break through soon, especially with a playoff push still technically alive and a lineup depending on him to be the middle of the order threat he's always been.
Do you still believe Vladimir Guerrero Jr. turns his season around before it's over?
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