The Toronto Blue Jays are hanging across the playoff race because the MLB reaches its ultimate month, and one analyst believes Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may maintain the keys to a berth.
Guerrero has struggled over the course of the season, lacking time just lately with a concussion and attempting to get again into his earlier type on the plate. MLB.com author Max Ralph predicted that if the veteran slugger can flip round his fortunes, it might be sufficient to get the Blue Jays right into a playoff berth amid a largely struggling American League.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. May Put Collectively Sizzling Streak at Most Essential Time
Ralph famous that Guerrero’s hitting output has dropped sharply this season, not but placing a ball out of the park at house
“Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s surprisingly down season has been well-documented, as he’s nonetheless awaiting his first house run at Rogers Middle since … final season,” Ralph wrote. “He additionally hit one house run in August whereas slashing .221/.259/.312 — good for only a 59 wRC+.”
Ralph added that the crew continues to be standing behind Guerrero, who has put collectively loads of clutch performances up to now and may do it once more.
“It’s clear that Guerrero has not been ‘proper’ all season, and he missed a while this previous month with a concussion,” Ralph wrote. “However he has the assist of his supervisor, and if Vladdy can put collectively even a mini sizzling streak within the season’s ultimate month, it may do wonders for the Blue Jays’ ultimate push towards October.”
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Has Been Goal of Criticism
Guerrero has gotten loads of criticism this season. Dayn Perry of CBS Sports activities named him as probably the most disappointing gamers within the MLB, noting that it “looks as if a very long time in the past that Vlad Jr. hit 48 house runs as a 22-year-old.”
His heroics throughout final 12 months’s run to the World Collection additionally appear far up to now, Perry added.
“Coming off a productive 2025 season and 2025 playoffs that noticed him energy up, Guerrero has shed house run energy like by no means earlier than,” Perry wrote. “At current, he’s slugging simply .356 — an appalling determine for a primary baseman (signed to a $500 million contract — with simply seven house runs in 117 video games. It’s been greater than a calendar 12 months since Guerrero has hit a regular-season house run at house. There are many causes the Blue Jays have backslid a lot because the finish of the World Collection, however Vlad’s energy outage stands out as the largest cause of all.”
Regardless of the struggles and a 68-70 document, the Blue Jays are simply 1.5 video games out of the playoffs within the ultimate month of the MLB season.
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