TORONTO – Soon after finishing batting practice Thursday afternoon, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sat in the Blue Jays’ third base dugout and outlined his approach for the upcoming Home Run Derby.
“Just enjoy it,” he told the assembled media through interpreter Hector Lebron.
Four years ago, when he hit 91 derby home runs as a 20-year-old in Cleveland, he enjoyed the experience immensely. Among other things, it showed him there was no need to overcomplicate his plan.
With that in mind, Guerrero Jr. sounded unconcerned about who might oppose him in the derby – “I’m going to be there. I don’t worry about the other guys” – or how to deliver on such a big stage – “Go up there and hit homers.”
Well, if the last week offers any indication, Guerrero Jr. may be getting a head start in that department. After going nearly three months without hitting a home run at Rogers Centre, the 24-year-old now has three in the last week, including the decisive two-run blast in the Blue Jays’ 2-1 win over the Giants Thursday.
A strong start from Chris Bassitt was also essential in the Blue Jays’ latest win, and Alejandro Kirk returned from the injured list to throw out a baserunner and call a strong game on the way to a career-best 12 strikeouts for Bassitt. But on a day the Blue Jays’ bats were quiet, Guerrero Jr.’s home run made the difference.
On the season, the first baseman’s now hitting .281 with an .810 OPS – far from what he’s capable of but nonetheless productive at a time that the league OPS is .729. Still, Guerrero Jr. wasn’t voted in as an all-star starter, nor were any of the Blue Jays’ other four finalists: Bo Bichette, Whit Merrifield, Matt Chapman and Kevin Kiermaier.
As for Bassitt, the outing was his best in weeks. He allowed just three hits and three walks over six shutout innings, using his typically wide array of pitches – and especially his sinker – to generate those 12 strikeouts.
Working with Kirk for the 12th time, Bassitt entrusted the game calling to his catcher instead of calling pitches himself. He still wore the PitchCom transmitter on his hip as a precaution, but wanted to be sure he stayed in attack mode rather than analyzing while pitching.
Evidently, it worked, giving Bassitt something to build on ahead of his next start in Chicago against the White Sox. Relievers Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza and Jordan Romano then combined to close the game down with minimal damage as the Blue Jays improved to 45-37.
And on a night the Blue Jays combined for just three hits against San Francisco starter Keaton Winn and company, Guerrero Jr. made sure his contribution counted. All of which leads to an interesting question. Could hitting in the Home Run Derby actually help his second-half numbers improve?
“It can with certain hitters,” said manager John Schneider, who will pitch to Guerrero Jr. in Seattle next month. “There’s times where guys get after it (in batting practice). I don’t think it’ll hurt him, because he’s done it before. If it helps, who knows.”
Guerrero Jr. went a step further.
“In my case it helps me a lot,” he said. “I usually take a round or two to hit homers in (batting practice) to hit homers. So I’d say yes, it’ll help.”
Judging by his recent production, he might need a lot less help than he did a week ago.
