Jays hope break helps Guerrero get on track
The initial, over-the-top curiosity associated with Vlad Guerrero Jr. has in some ways become a curse when it comes to the expectations tied to one of the most exciting homegrown players in Toronto Blue Jays franchise history.
Fairly or otherwise, the weight of expectation is as much of a burden as the extra pounds the first baseman/designated hitter is carrying early in this 2020 season.
And it’s why, just seven games into the abbreviated campaign, there’s already an anxiousness tied to the talented 21-year-old.
“He’s struggling right now,” Jays manager Charlie Montoyo acknowledged during recent Zoom conversations. “We have been facing good pitching and that has something to do with it. But it’s only seven days. Hopefully this couple of days off is going to give him a chance to regroup and I think he’ll be OK.”
Normally, a seven-game stretch to start the season would be seen as just a statistical blip — good or bad — for any batter in any lineup. But if Guerrero continues to struggle through scheduled road games beginning Tuesday in Atlanta and then in Boston on the weekend, almost a quarter of the 60-game season will be behind him.
So with everything being so magnified, it’s difficult not to raise an eye at Vlad’s skimpy .172 batting average. There’s also just one RBI thus far, courtesy of a solo home run, his only round tripper in the past 34 games.
It’s too early to panic, of course, but when weekend games in Philadelphia were postponed, Montoyo said that Guerrero was planning to spend extra time with Jays hitting coaches Guillermo Martinez and Dante Bichette as the team remained at Nationals Park in Washington.
If there’s technical concern in Guerrero’s efforts so far, it’s that he’s not driving the ball like he does when his swing is on, a flaw illustrated by three ground ball outs in the Jays’ most recent game against the Nats. But his teammates seem confident the form that made Guerrero one of the most highly touted prospects of 2019 will emerge soon.
“We’ve got to remember it’s seven games. Everybody in here knows he has the capability of being one of the best hitters in the world,” Jays shortstop Bo Bichette said on the weekend.
TEOSCAR TEEING IT UP
Guerrero might be uncomfortable at the plate, but Teoscar Hernandez is feeling fine. He leads the team with four homers, six RBIs and a .321 batting average. Jays management has long believed in the talent the outfielder brings to the plate. The key has been for Hernandez to display consistency, something that appears to be developing.
“I know I have the power that I can drive the ball out of the park. I’m just trying to stay focused and have more patience at the plate . ... Go with a plan and look for a pitch in the zone I can put a good swing on,” Hernandez said.