The Toronto Blue Jays are battling for a playoff spot as the season has been a frustrating one for multiple players and the team.
Toronto is 72-73 after losing the first game of its three-game road series against the Athletics on Monday night.
The Blue Jays are 1 game back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.
Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Predicted to Win Award
Toronto is in the midst of a disappointing season, and a big reason why is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struggling at the plate.
Guerrero has yet to hit a home run at the Rogers Centre and has just 8 home runs this season. Yet, his defensive play has been stellar, and MLB.com analysts Jason Foster, Jared Greenspan, and Brian Murphy predicted Guerrero will win a Gold Glove at first base in the American League.
“Guerrero, who won the Gold Glove here in 2022, remains a strong defender at first base. He leads all AL first basemen with eight Defensive Runs Saved and a plus-6 Fielding Run Value. Meanwhile, his four Outs Above Average rank second among his AL positional peers,” the article read.
Although Guerrero’s offense has been an issue this year, his defensive play has been stellar and arguably the best of his career.
Guerrero has a .991 fielding percentage, as it’s been a solid year at first base, as he’s played 115 games at the position.
As for his offense, Guerrero is hitting just .259 with 8 home runs and 54 RBIs. He’s in the first year of a 14-year, $500 million deal.
Toronto Right Now
The Blue Jays dropped the series opener against the Athletics on Monday.
It was a disappointing result as Toronto is battling for the final Wild Card spot.
“We’ve got to shake this one off and come back tomorrow,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
The Athletics took advantage of Dylan Cease on the mound as they stole five times, which the right-hander wasn’t pleased about.
“I wish I had a little more focus on that,” Cease said of the Athletics’ disruptive baserunning. “I feel like looking back, I kind of just let it happen. They definitely took advantage.”
Schneider, meanwhile, echoed Cease’s comments about him needing to be better on holding back the runners.
“We talked about it before the game: Against a pitcher like [Cease], they’re going to take chances,” Schneider said. “We’ve got to do a better job of limiting those extra bases. First inning, really, too, we’ve got to handle the baseball.”
Toronto will look to even up the series on Tuesday.
Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrro Jr. Predicted to Win Major Award Amidst Dissapointing Season