Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. didn’t stay as much as his 14-year, $500 million extension in 2026.
The 27-year-old posted the worst numbers of his eight-year profession. He hit .260 with a .332 on-base share and a .356 slugging share in 144 video games. His batting common and .688 OPS have been profession lows.
His 9 residence runs and 57 RBIs have been his fewest in any full season. He drew 56 walks, his lowest complete in a full season since his 2019 rookie yr. His 95 wRC+ was the bottom of his profession.
The drop got here after Guerrero hit a franchise-record eight residence runs within the 2025 postseason.
2026 season left Guerrero with an extended offseason to show issues round.
He made his first transfer quickly after the season ended, present process laser eye surgical procedure. Guerrero beforehand wore contact lenses whereas enjoying and glasses off the sphere.
His second determination follows the trail of the New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
Vladimir Guerrero Has Profession Information Emerge
Guerrero will work on his hitting this winter along with his father, Corridor of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr.
The 27-year-old’s uncle, former main leaguer Wilton Guerrero, will even assist. Guerrero Jr. has credited Wilton with instructing him the basics of the sport.
The plan mirrors how Goldschmidt responded to his personal down yr in 2019.
The St. Louis Cardinals acquired Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2018. He signed a five-year, $130 million extension in March 2019 that lined 2020 by 2024.
Goldschmidt then hit .260 in 2019, the identical common Guerrero posted this season. He nonetheless hit 34 residence runs and drove in 97 runs. However his OPS fell from .922 in 2018 to .821.
The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon pointed to what got here subsequent because the lesson for Toronto. Goldschmidt spent the next winter and a part of 2020 with Jeff Albert, working to repair the lower-half load in his swing and studying about biomechanics.
A number of Blue Jays coaches identified Guerrero’s load and the tempo of his assault through the season.
Guerrero Sr. hit .318 with 449 residence runs over 16 main league seasons. He earned a repute as a bad-ball hitter. But he by no means struck out greater than 95 instances in a season. He entered the Corridor in 2018.
Former Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto has already pointed Guerrero towards his father. “Your dad is textbook for what sort of hitter you need to be,” Votto stated on Sportsnet’s “Blair and Barker” present. Votto stated Guerrero stored mistiming the ball and wanted to make use of much less of his physique in his swing.
Baseball’s collective bargaining settlement expires Dec. 1 and a lockout seems doubtless. However it will not cease Guerrero’s work along with his father and uncle.
Vladimir Guerrero Enjoys Downtime in Dominican Republic
For now, Guerrero is spending the early offseason with household and associates within the Dominican Republic. He has shared glimpses of that point on his Group Guerrero 27 YouTube channel.
In a latest video, he and associates visited his farm in Don Gregorio to reap coconuts. Guerrero stepped out of the automotive within the video along with his hair dyed pink.
He additionally appeared in an area baseball sport hitting residence runs.
The hitting work along with his father and uncle comes subsequent. Guerrero enters 2027 within the second yr of a contract that runs by 2039.
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