Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is one of the Toronto Blue Jays players that has been scrutinized more than most over the previous several seasons.
He hit a season-high 48 home runs in 2021, but there have been some indications of a decline in his at-bat performance since then. He went from having an OPS of 1.002 to.818 in 2022 and.788 in 2023, seasons that all resulted in All-Star berths for him but left fans hoping for more.
The slugger appeared to have timing problems last season, as seen by his inability to get bat-to-ball in a proper manner. He started swinging at balls that were obvious and should have been laid off, and he struggled to get his bat on balls in the zone he should have had no trouble with. Pitch selection also became a problem.
Carlos Pena: “When I look at Vladimir Guerrero Jr., for example, and I know he spoiled us. He goes out there and has this monster (2021) season, and then he has solid years, and all of a sudden we’re like ‘oh, he’s struggling.’ Now, I’m thinking the league has adjusted to him, and now he needs to make adjustments to the league. What is the process with him, because we obviously know what he’s capable of doing?”
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins answered a variety of questions from an MLB Network panel this week during the GM meetings in Nashville, including one concerning Guerrero Jr.’s season and the upcoming 2024 campaign.
Atkins: “I think about that on a very regular basis, is how did we let him down? That’s how I think about it, that’s how I go to bed at night thinking there’s got to be a better way to have him in a stronger position on a daily basis, because the bat speed, the strength, his plan, his work, is all solid. We’ve spent a lot of time and energy this year, and into this offseason with John, with Donnie, and obviously Guilermo and Hunter thinking about better ways to streamline information and make sure we’re distilling it in a way that he can really maximize everything he’s capable of. He still had a great year, you said it well Carlos, he had a very productive year, and even when the performance doesn’t actually turn into the balls over the fence and a significant OPS or whatever it may be, the threat of him in a lineup, and the impcat that has on others, we saw it towards the end of the season seeing him get six or seven pitchers every at-bat. I’m so excited for this year for Vladdy, and I’m very much looking forward to his impact.”
During the interview, Atikins also discussed Don Mattingly’s recent appointment as the team’s offensive coordinator and the necessity for the organization to improve its “getting the best possible information” in front of all of the Jays’ offensive players, not only Guerrero Jr.
His criticism of Guerrero Jr. is well-founded, and it’s intriguing to hear him express what appears to be sincere regret for the events of the past several years.
Throughout the season, we learned from the candid Buck Martinez that he believed Guerrero Jr. was receiving so much information that he was losing focus on some of the fundamentals. Furthermore, it appears from Atkins’ remarks that the club is also aware of that.
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