Toronto Blue Jays analyst Caleb Joseph called first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. not hustling down the first base line “a bad look.”
Guerrero has been mired in a season-long slump at the plate for the Blue Jays, as he is hitting just .268 with a .695 OPS and only 4 home runs on the season, including 0 at home.
While his defense has been solid at first base, one of the biggest signs of frustration for fans, besides his poor hitting, has been his lack of hustle on the basepaths.
Far too many times this season, Guerrero has slowly jogged it down to first base instead of hustling down the line, which would have resulted in him potentially having a few extra hits along the way, or at least staying out of a few extra double plays.
It’s something that fans have noticed, and with Guerrero making over $40 million this season, it’s simply not acceptable.
Caleb Joseph Comments on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Lack of Hustle
Speaking on the “Blair & Barker” podcast, Joseph — the Blue Jays’ TV color commentator and a former catcher for Toronto and the Baltimore Orioles — gave his thoughts on what he’s seeing from Guerrero right now both at the plate and on the basepaths.
“When you look like you’re frustrated, you look like you’re beat, you look like you’re unsure, and when you have average-at-best effort down the line, it’s a bad look. I think 27’s gotta clean it up, I really do,” Joseph said.
“If there was a really good friend in there who really, truly cared about him, they’d be pulling him aside and saying, ‘Vladdy, the aesthetics are not good. You’re better than this. Your heart is in the right place, but we’ve got to grow up a little bit, and we’ve got to get past this, and really mature into understanding how to fail properly.’ I’m waiting for that to happen. Haven’t seen it yet.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Continues to Hit 3rd for Blue Jays
Despite all of his struggles this year, the Blue Jays continue to trot out Guerrero at the top of the team’s batting order, as he continues to hit third for the team.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider has repeatedly said that he will not bench Guerrero or move him down in the team’s batting order despite his season-long slump, because he wants his star to hit his way out of his slump.
But so far, that hasn’t worked out at all, as Guerrero is actually getting worse as the season goes on.
It’s been a shocking year at the plate for Guerrero, who is typically one of the very best hitters in all of baseball, which is why he earned a 14-year, $500 million contract extension from Toronto.
But right now, that contract is looking like a massive overpay for a player who is among the most disappointing hitters in baseball this season.
Hitting is hard, and anyone who knows baseball knows that batting slumps happen. But, at the very least, Guerrero could run down the line harder.
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