Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider explained why first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won’t drop in the lineup despite his struggles.
It’s no secret that Guerrero has struggled this season.
Through 70 games this season, Guerrero is sporting a .730 OPS with a 100 OPS+, meaning he has been a league-average bat this season. While his .280 batting average is nice, the fact that he has only 3 home runs this late into the season is downright shocking given the tear he went on last fall in the World Series. It’s late June, and Guerrero doesn’t even have a home run at Rogers Centre, which is a hitter’s haven.
Yet, despite his struggles, Schneider has refused to drop Guerrero in the order. He has mostly hit out of his customary No. 3 hole in the Blue Jays’ lineup this season, while also getting some starts in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the lineup.
But, given his disappointing year thus far, many fans and media have suggested that Guerrero should be dropped into the bottom half of the order.
Schneider, though, isn’t having any of that.
John Schneider Explains Why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Won’t Drop in Lineup
Speaking to Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker, Schneider offered his explanation for why he refuses to drop Guerrero in the batting order.
“For one, I think everyone wants to fix him. I tried doing it one day in the leadoff spot. Honestly, I don’t think so. To take a little pressure off of him, I mean, the dude lives with astronomical pressure that people don’t understand. Just his normal day is different than everyone’s. I just think it’s going to take a game for him to get going, or a couple games for him to get going. He’s going to be pitched the same way if I hit him first or if I hit him ninth,” Schneider said.
“So, if anything, you monitor his work, you monitor the day-to-day, do you need a day off, do you need a blow physically, how’s your back, what’s your state of mind, all that kind of stuff. He gets it. He hears what everyone’s saying. He wants to have more slug than what he has right now. But I don’t think it really matters where I put him in the order. He’s the face of our franchise and I’ve got all the confidence in him. I’ve seen it too many times to where it just takes a game to get on a heater, and then he’s good to go. So, I don’t want to do anything crazy with him, man. He’s too good to try to motivate by demoting him. He’s too good for that.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider joins @SNJeffBlair and Kevin Barker to explain why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. isn’t moving from his spot in the batting order.
LIVE ⤵️ 📺 t.co/SqK7M993Jz & SN360 📻 t.co/tEtiRUWyip
Blue Jays Right Now
The Blue Jays currently have a 36-38 record as we approach the halfway point of the season. They are in third place in the American League East and appear very unlikely to defend their AL East crown as they are 10 GB of the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays, with the rival New York Yankees also ahead of them.
In the Wild Card race, the Blue Jays are currently tied with the Athletics for the third and final spot, as the AL as a whole has been very weak this season. If the Blue Jays can get some more production out of Guerrero, though, it would really help give the team a big boost in the second half of the season as they try to make it back to the postseason and challenge for the World Series once again after they lost in seven games to the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.
John Schneider on Why Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Won’t Drop in Lineup