SLIM GUERRERO COULD BE TERROR AT THE PLATE
Forget defence, the 40-pound weight loss should make young Jays star a better hitter
There is no doubt Vlad Guerrero Jr. is fitter and fleeter of foot these days and is once again a huge storyline as Blue Jays spring training unfolds.
Primarily, the speculation around the new-look Vlad has focused on how it will translate into better play defensively. No doubt weary of answering the questions by now, the 21-year-old is saying all the right things about feeling comfortable and quicker and determined to improve his play in the Toronto infield.
But his impressive off-season work may ultimately provide its biggest rewards at the plate.
When Guerrero was asked on Saturday when he last felt this strong, he didn't hesitate with his reply: That would be three seasons ago.
“Back in 2018, I felt the same way that I feel right now, the same confidence that I feel now,” Guerrero said through team translator Tito Lebron.
“And I'm good. That's why I think, I really believe I'm going to have a good year because I feel like I did in 2018.”
That season was recent enough for most to recall it as the year the legend of the still teenage Vlad truly took off.
Playing mostly for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Guerrero destroyed minor league pitching with a .402 batting average through 61 games and 234 at-bats. By the next year, there was no holding him back as he was promoted to the big leagues early in the season and electrified the baseball world in the Home Run Derby at Cleveland's All-Star Game festivities.
Granted, Guerrero will be facing considerably stouter pitching in his third year in the big leagues, but the sense is he's notably better equipped to have a big year at the plate.
“I think it's basically what you are seeing right now — he was probably the best hitter in the minor leagues that year — and it's what he looks like right now,” said Jays major league coach John Schneider, who was Vlad's manager in New Hampshire that year. “He's in on his legs a lot more. The bat speed is there, obviously, but the way that he moves in the box with his gather and his go, it looks a lot like it did in 2018.”
Guerrero's weight loss of 40-plus pounds has been well documented and discussed and it has already yielded results in better footwork defensively and some hustle on the basepaths. In Saturday's 7-1 win over the Phillies at Dunedin's TD Ballpark, Guerrero even beat out an infield single.
But it's at the plate, as always, where he figures to make the biggest impact. And as manager Charlie Montoyo noted, it's Guerrero's vaunted hand speed that appears to be back.
“If you look at the winter ball at-bats (in the Dominican), on pitches inside, you can see how quick he was,” Montoyo said. “He couldn't do that last year and now he's doing it so that's a great sign.”
Though Guerrero is expected to spend the most time defensively at first base, he got the start at third on Saturday for the first time this spring. The Jays want him to be comfortable enough at either spot to at least avoid being a liability.
And the improved fitness should help in everything — from footwork, to hand speed, to strength and stamina.
“I think it's going to help on both sides of the ball,” Schneider said of Guerrero's newly sculpted physique. “I think he's just able to do more things in the (batter's) box. He's able to react a little more quicker on the balls inside.”
Meanwhile, Guerrero said he has felt comfortable on defence, particularly at first base.
“I definitely feel very, very comfortable at first,” Guerrero said. “I still need to keep working hard to be the best of me. Wherever the team needs me, I'm going to continue to work hard and get better.”
As far as improving on both sides of the ball, Guerrero has been taking note of the work of big off-season free-agent acquisition, George Springer.
“I think he's a great teammate,” Guerrero said. “He's always willing to help us. When you have someone who has been to the World Series twice and plays very hard out there ... it's a great motivation for us to do the same thing, to go out there and play hard and to try to accomplish the main goal.”
Tanner Roark, who struggled with consistency in 2020, made his spring training debut with the Jays on Saturday, allowing one hit through two scoreless innings.
The struggles by Jacob Waguespack this spring had him designated for assignment on Saturday after the Jays claimed right handier Joel Payamps off waivers from the Red Sox.
Some potential good news on the recovery of starter Nate Pearson, who has been eased back due to a right groin strain. Pearson played catch from 90 feet on Saturday, but the team plans to be careful in bringing the powerful righty back to game action.