Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. commented on his struggles this year, admitting that “I have to get hot.”
Guerrero has hit just 6 home runs this year for Toronto, a shockingly low total for one of the game’s highest-paid players, as Guerrero is making $40.2 million this season, the first of 14 seasons as part of his $500 million contract extension with Toronto.
With the Blue Jays 4 GB of the playoffs right now, Guerrero is feeling the heat from the fans, as his poor batting this year has been a major reason why the team is likely to miss the postseason this year, just one season removed from going all the way to Game 7 of the World Series.
Vladimiri Guerrero Jr. Reflects on Struggles
Speaking to MLB.com, Guerrero reflected on his struggles this season for the Blue Jays, admitting that he simply hasn’t been good enough with his bat and that he needs to get hot if the Blue Jays are going to make a late-season playoff run.
“I have to start hitting. I have to start hitting. I think we’ve been playing good. Sometimes, we get shut down, but it’s always one game at a time. I need to get hot so that we can keep going and try to make the playoffs,” Guerrero said.
“We are four games back of the Wild Card. We are still competing. There are still 49 games. Something can happen. Go out there, have fun and play to win these games.”
Though Guerrero’s bat has been a major disappointment this year, as he has just a .690 OPS, which is far below average for a major-league first baseman, and his 90 OPS+ indicates that he is hitting 10% below league average in general, his defense at first base has thankfully been solid this season, which is why he still has 0.7 bWAR despite his struggles with his stick.
“My mindset is always positive. I’m going out there and trying to do the best I can to help the team win, every day. If I’m not doing it with my bat, I’m doing it with my glove. I try to do something, all the time, to be better for my team. When you have that in your mind, something good can happen,” Guerrero said.
John Schneider Needs His Lineup to Get Going
For Blue Jays manager John Schneider, seeing Guerrero struggle to swing the bat the way that he has must be extremely difficult to watch, as it’s simply a helpless feeling seeing your star player not play up to his potential.
To that end, Schneider needs Guerrero, George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Jesus Sanchez, and the rest of the band to get hot in September and August if the playoffs are even going to be possible.
“It’s no secret we need some guys to go. There’s a fine line between waiting for that to happen and being really, really aggressive to make it happen. We’re going to need Springer, Vladimir, Kirk and Sanchez now that he’s back. We’re going to need them to drive the ball. It’s nice that you know your group a little bit. We’ve got to really lean into an identity,” Schneider said.
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