MLB legend Albert Pujols explained what’s wrong with Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is mired in a deep slump.
Guerrero has been shockingly bad this year for the Blue Jays. Through 78 games this season, he has hit just 4 home runs, has a mediocre .718 OPS, and has a 97 OPS+, meaning he is a below-average hitter right now.
This is not what anyone expected from Guerrero, who has been one of the game’s best hitters for several years now, and who is coming off an absolutely massive playoff run last year that many felt would see him have a monster season this year.
Instead, it’s been the opposite, as he has been one of the least powerful first basemen in baseball.
Fans are wondering what’s wrong with him, and Pujols believes he knows.
Albert Pujols Offers Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Advice
Speaking on MLB Network, Pujols — one of the greatest hitters in baseball history — offered some advice to Guerrero to help him get out of his season-long slump. (Watching the video is recommended.)
“I did it myself, too. When I see that tip of the bat, that means that I’m taking my hands too far back. So that was a trigger for me, you know? So I think for him, he just needs to have that little separation. He has his bat here, then he comes here, and the leg kick. That’s the separation he needs to have here, so he can be ready to hit from that position,” Pujols said.
“(He wraps) too much here. Because when those fastballs come at 95, 96, it just takes less than a second for you to react. And then if you have that bat wrapping over your helmet, it’s going to be a long swing. But if he had that separation and had it ready from here, I’m ready to swing. All I have to do is look for my pitch and just drop the head to it.”
Blue Jays Need to Drop Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Lineup
Guerrero is the Blue Jays’ top player on paper, and he is their highest-paid player, making $40.2 million this season, so he always gets to hit in the top three spots in the team’s lineup despite his struggles, as Blue Jays manager John Schneider wants to see him hit his way out of the slump.
But at this point in the season, with the Blue Jays five games under .500, it’s time the team made a drastic change and dropped him into the middle or even bottom of the order, since he is actively hurting his team by hitting so high up in the lineup and getting so many at-bats when he isn’t coming through for the team.
He has also drawn the ire of the fanbase for not hustling down the line to first base when he hits groundballs, which is the absolute least amount of effort expected from any professional baseball player.
Schneider is a player’s manager, and that’s one of the reasons he has been successful in MLB, because the players like him. But he can be too lax at times when it comes to making tough decisions.
It’s time that Guerrero gets dropped down in the order until he figures out how to hit again. Otherwise, by the time he does, it might be too late, and the season may be over.
Albert Pujols Explains What’s Wrong With Vladimir Guerrero Jr.