Come October, if Young Vlad ever does recapture his 2021 form, even for a couple of weeks, the Jays are going to be a handful
It’s not that Guerrero Jr. has been bad, exactly, not when he’s been the most productive hitter on the second-highest scoring offence in the American League, it’s that he hasn’t sniffed the sustained levels of his breakout year. His best OPS by month in 2022 was in June, with a .959. He was better than that in April, May, June and September of last year, and a lot better in a couple of those months.
All of which underscores something else, as the Blue Jays eye October: If Guerrero Jr. ever does recapture his 2021 form, even for a couple of weeks, they are going to be a handful. Could Monday night’s heroics be the sparkplug? Perhaps. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after the game that it was “huge” for Guerrero to come through in that moment, a playoff-like atmosphere in which Springer and Bichette had tried and failed to knock in the winning run before him. Schneider acknowledged that Guerrero Jr. had been scuffling at the plate a little this month, but that wasn’t exactly a revelation. He’s hitting just .
But this is also a statement about just how ridiculous Guerrero, at 22 years old, was last year. His age 23 season has paled in comparison, but it is still awfully solid. He had 64 extra-base hits entering Tuesday’s games, second on the Jays to Bichette, who is something of a doubles machine. Across every offensive category he is at or around the team lead, just not miles ahead of almost everyone else on the roster like he was for much of 2021.