Former Blue Jays great Bautista weighs in on Guerrero Jr’s ‘down season’
Hitting .280 with 11 house runs and 49 RBI isn’t thought-about a “down season” for many main leaguers, however for Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it undoubtedly has been.
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet {
show: grid;
grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;
hole: 20px;
width: 100%;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 16px;
border: 1px strong #CECECE;
background-color: #FFF;
border-radius: 4px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-title {
coloration: #343434;
font-family: ‘roboto’;
font-size: 20px;
font-weight: 600;
line-height: 22px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
high: -3px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-body {
coloration: #343434;
font-family: ‘urw-din’;
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 20px;
margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-link-title {
show: inline-block;
font-family: ‘urw-din’;
font-size: 16px;
list-style-type: none;
width: auto;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-link-title:not(:last-child):after ‘;
coloration: #343434;
Former Blue Jay José Bautista is intimately aware of the excessive expectations that observe being the point of interest of a crew that doesn’t simply symbolize Toronto, however an entire nation.
On Wednesday, Bautista shared his ideas on Guerrero Jr.’s state of affairs in an interview on The FAN Morning Show at The Joe Carter Golf Classic.
“If hitting .280-something with 11 home runs in June is struggling, I want to struggle,” Bautista joked. “[But] I perceive the stakes are excessive, and there’s loads on his shoulders as a result of he’s the man on this crew.”
Bautista is aware of a factor about being “the guy” for the Blue Jays. Whether it was his franchise record-setting 54-home run season in 2010 or the enduring post-season bat flip in 2015, the participant often called ‘Joey Bats’ routinely discovered himself on the centre of consideration.
Guerrero Jr., equally, has been pushed into the highlight. Though the place Bautista was a late bloomer — breaking out in 2010 as a 29-year-old in his third season with the Blue Jays — the expectations for Vlad Jr. had been raised earlier than he entered the Major Leagues.
Ranked no. 4 on MLB.com’s Top 30 International Prospects listing in 2015, Guerrero Jr. instantly drew comparisons to his generational-hitter father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. As quickly as he made it as much as the Majors in 2019, followers anticipated Vlad Jr. to be the following Blue Jays linchpin.
“For me, I felt like it came with responsibility and just made you operate in that way — be more responsible in your decisions and your habits every single day,” mentioned Bautista, a three-time Silver Slugger. “You accept that responsibility and you try to do as good as you can.”
“He understands that — he knows that. And I hope that he learns how to manage that.”
The added duty of being a crew’s celebrity might probably compound the stress to interrupt out of a droop, particularly when the membership’s outcomes have been comparatively disappointing as properly, with a 43-37 report being solely adequate for fourth within the AL East.
However, the 42-year-old Bautista — who can be inducted into the Blue Jays’ Ring of Honour on Aug. 12 — noticed his fair proportion of slumps all through his 15 years within the massive leagues, and absolutely expects Guerrero Jr. to shake this off like he did.
“I’m not too worried about him,” mentioned the six-time All-Star. “I will bet on the fact that at the end of the season, his stat line is going to look just fine.”
.acf-block-preview .br-related-links-wrapper {
show: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
hole: 20px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-related-links-wrapper a {
pointer-events: none;
cursor: default;
text-decoration: none;
coloration: black;
}
