NEW YORK—Vladimir Guerrero Jr. likely will never suit up for the Yankees, but it’s clear that even as a visiting player he owns New York City.
The Big Apple seems to bring out the best in the Blue Jays’ five-time all-star. Since his arrival to the majors in 2019, just about every trip through this area has turned into a personal highlight reel.
Guerrero’s domination of the Yankees continued this weekend. On Friday, he matched a career high with four hits, including a solo homer. On Saturday, he sent a double to the gap in left-centre in his first at-bat and later added a single. It was his fourth consecutive game with multiple hits.
“I remember a week ago everybody was asking: What happened to Vladdy after his hamstring (injury)?” Jays manager John Schneider said following the Jays’ 3-1 loss on Saturday. “He’s good. He likes hitting here and he likes hitting in the second half. Hopefully he keeps it rolling.”
The numbers speak for themselves. Guerrero entered Saturday with a career on-base plus slugging percentage of .991 at Yankee Stadium, his third-highest at any road ballpark after more than 20 games. It’s also the second-highest for any player with at least 150 plate appearances at the current ballpark, behind only Aaron Judge’s 1.051.
Guerrero’s 16 home runs in the Bronx are also the second-most among active players, trailing former Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers by one. It’s Guerrero’s highest tally at any road stadium.
Some of that success stems from embracing the role of villain. His dad, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, had a long-standing beef with the Yankees that originated during his time as a free agent. He thought he had a deal with the club, only to see late owner George Steinbrenner back out and sign Gary Sheffield instead.
The younger Guerrero continued to hold hard feelings. A couple of years ago, he said he would never sign with the Yankees — “not even dead” — and was also quoted as saying he “likes to kill the Yankees.”
Guerrero later softened his stance at the behest of his father, but Yankees fans haven’t forgotten. When Guerrero hit a solo homer on Friday, he was relentlessly booed as he crossed home plate. The 26-year-old Blue Jay relished the attention with a big smirk, and why not? As Schneider is fond of saying: “Fans don’t boo nobodies” — an old quote from Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
- Gregor Chisholm
Now that Guerrero has toned down the rhetoric, he’s more hesitant to speak ill of the Yankees. But the Dominican plays exceptionally well at their ballpark and he knows it, even if he doesn’t want to say it.
“Compete like I always do, and the rest of my teammates always do,” Guerrero said when asked why he has so much success in New York.
His success extends well beyond New York. He has been on a tear since the all-star break. Prior to July 18, he was batting .277 with 12 home runs and an .818 OPS in 94 games. Since then, he’s batting .348 with 11 homers and a 1.049 OPS in 41 games.
It’s similar to last year, when he posted an identical .818 OPS in the first half and 1.127 the rest of the way. It would be a stretch to call Guerrero a slow starter, but throughout his career the numbers have improved as the year goes on. Just don’t expect him to elaborate on the reasons why.
“The hits are falling,” Guerrero simply stated, adding he hasn’t made any mechanical adjustments.Â
Some were skeptical about the Jays’ decision to hand Guerrero a franchise-record $500-million (U.S.) contract in the spring. The complaints grew when there was a lack of power for much of April and May. The criticism will resume at some point, but there hasn’t been much lately.
That’s because the Jays are getting their money’s worth. Guerrero entered Saturday ranked third in the AL with a .394 on-base percentage, second with 92 runs, fourth with an .891 OPS and sixth with a .299 batting average. Only Aaron Judge, George Springer and Cal Raleigh have more weighted runs created plus.
That elite production is one of the reasons the Jays find themselves in first place. If they hang on for another three weeks, it will be the first time in Guerrero’s career that the Jays won their division.
“That’s our dream,” Guerrero said. “Everybody in there is on the same page. There are still (20) games, still a lot to do. But we have to keep going out there, competing and playing hard the rest of the way.”
If Guerrero keeps swinging it like he has lately, the Jays have a very good chance of turning that dream into a reality.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation