Although it is still early in his career, there are some who want to label Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as a disappointment. The Toronto Blue Jays infielder was expected to set the majors afire upon his promotion, the second coming of his father while leading the team back to glory. While he has been solid thus far in his career, Guerrero has not been the player he was expected to be.
But those days may come as soon as this year. Not only did Guerrero show up to camp looking considerably slimmer, but his swing also looks different. There is now more loft to his swing, which could allow him to unlock his power potential.
Could mean something, probably nothing, but:
— Ryan Bloomfield (@RyanBHQ) March 16, 2021
Vlad Guerrero Jr. has a 19-degree launch angle over 12 batted balls tracked by Statcast this spring.
His highest LA in any other month of his career? 9 degrees.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may be ready to live up to potential for Toronto Blue Jays
There is no question that Guerrero can hit the ball hard. He averaged a 92.5 MPH exit velocity last season, ranking in the 93rd percentile in the majors. However, he had just nine homers and 13 doubles, as his swing had virtually no loft; his 4.6% launch angle amongst the lowest in the game.
While a swing geared more towards ground balls and line drives would make sense for some players, Guerrero is absolutely not that. Even now that he is slimmed down, no one is ever going to confuse him for a speedster. He needs to hit the ball hard, either into the gaps or, preferably, over the fence.
He has shown signs of what he could be as a power hitter. His impressive display during the 2019 Home Run Derby will not be forgotten, nor will his 488 foot blast off the scoreboard at Progressive Field. But that impressive power has not translated to game action outside of his ability to hit the ball incredibly hard.
That may be ready to change. Yes, it is a small sample size. And yes, it is spring training where players work on different aspects of their game. But Guerrero is still making contact at an impressive rate while showing more of an ability to generate extra base hits. That long awaited breakout may be coming.
This could be the year that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lives up to the hype. The Toronto Blue Jays are certainly hoping that is the case.