In four years, we have known three different versions of the Dominican Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
In 2019, we saw a Guerrero make it to the Majors with the hopes of the team on his shoulders. In 2020, his burst of energy helped the Blue Jays reach the postseason in what was a premature development for the team.
In 2021, the prophecy was fulfilled. Only an extraordinary year from Shohei Ohtani kept the Dominican, who hit 48 homers and had a 1.002 OPS, from being an American League MVP. He was a superstar, a generational talent, the kind that moves the whole sport forward.
Then a year later we met a Warrior caught between those two versions.
His 32 homers and .819 OPS — not to mention a Gold Glove — make for a solid season. Most players would have a jersey framed with the list of achievements emblazoned on a gold plaque. But for the Dominican, “solid” is a disappointment. He has already shown what he is capable of on the field. And at 23 years old, he must have many campaigns like those of 2021 ahead of him.
To be fair, Guerrero knows this. You could see it Friday in Blue Jays camp when the Dominican, who rarely talks in such detail about his workouts and facets of the game, was concise when asked what he needed to change. It’s all about pitching selection and point. That will be his main focus in the coming weeks.
“To be honest with you, it’s a mental thing,” Guerrero said. “It can be live pitching, hitting off a tee or off set balls, but you have to be mentally prepared. For example, if I want to hit the opposite field, I have to make sure the pitch is outside. If I want to pull the balls, the pitching has to be inside. It’s mental.”
Clearly, Guerrero has been thinking about this. When asked about his 2022 at-bats, without a second thought, the Dominican said he was very “eager” trying to repeat his MVP-caliber season.
That’s exactly what opposing pitchers want, especially veterans who have been pitching in the majors since Guerrero was a teenager. They know how to exploit the weaknesses of a young hitter that he is trying to do too much. His natural gifts allowed him to continue to produce, but he is capable of so much more.
“Last year, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Guerrero said. “As a player, you always want to do better every year. Everyone knows the numbers I had in 2021. In past training sessions, I came in wanting to improve them even more and I think that affected me a bit. This year, I come with a plan and I am going to trust my talent”.
For Guerrero, trusting in his talent will allow him to return to those words that we have seen so much in his scout reports.
When Guerrero was the best prospect in baseball, MLB Pipeline rated him an 80-grade hitter, the best they’ve ever awarded. That number is on a scale from 20 to 80. It’s an assessment reserved for players who see each other once or twice in a generation.
Sure, we’re talking about hitting. That speaks of contact, but not necessarily power. But that’s the Guerrero the Blue Jays want.
“We want him to want to be a hitter in his mind,” manager John Schneider said. “Before he was a 48-homer player, he was a good hitter. Swinging at the correct pitches; I think he’ll be able to swing the balls through the air and down the ground. He is aware of those numbers. The work that he has done and that he continues to do will bear fruit ”.
Since Guerrero was 17 years old, it’s been clear that home runs will come naturally to him. He is made to crack the ball, so that should never be at the top of his priorities. As long as the Dominican can continue to make frequent contact and work his accounts deep – another of his virtues – 40-homer seasons will come without a problem.
Acknowledging this is the first step, but it is a big step. Implementing it in training or in the batting cage is next, although achieving it against the best pitchers on the planet is something else. But he’s done it before and now, he plans to introduce you to the “old version” of Vladdy.