Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exploded onto the scene in 2019, erupting for 15 homers (not including the 91 baseballs he demolished during the Home Run Derby in Cleveland) and 69 RBIs as a rookie, while exhibiting many of the same traits as his father, Montreal Expos legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero.
While Guerrero Jr. did improve in some areas this year, including slugging percentage (.462), OPS (.791) and at-bats per-home run (24.6), it wasn't the leap forward he had hoped for.
Guerrero Jr. looked noticeably heavier in 2020 with many commenting on his obvious weight gain. His decidedly doughy physique may have facilitated his move to first base, a significantly less demanding position than his former home across the diamond at third (granted, even in his slimmer days, Guerrero was never God's gift to the hot corner).
After a disappointing sophomore campaign, which included a tepid 1-for-7 showing in his playoff debut against the Rays, Guerrero Jr. has made a commitment to improving his fitness, already shedding 32 pounds this offseason. The 21-year-old has altered his diet (except for water, he no longer eats or drinks anything after 7 p.m.), eating healthier and subscribing to a strict training regimen at the Blue Jays' spring training facility in Florida.
Manny Randhawa of MLB.com notes Guerrero Jr. was embarrassed by his sluggish conditioning in 2020, apologizing to teammates for arriving to Blue Jays camp out of shape this summer.
"I learned after these months of the coronavirus that if you don't work hard, you can't be in the Major Leagues," Guerrero Jr. told Yancen Pujols of elCaribe, a newspaper in the Dominican Republic. "I told myself that this cannot happen again."
In addition to weight training and adopting better eating habits, the Blue Jays star has also emphasized defense this offseason. Guerrero Jr. has taken daily grounders at first base, where he was a liability throughout 2020 (three errors, -4 defensive runs saved).
"Why do [Fernando] Tatis and [Juan] Soto put up good numbers? Because they work hard," said Guerrero Jr., who estimates his current weight at about 250 pounds. "I know I did it wrong."
The Blue Jays, a team comprised of young talent like Guerrero Jr,, Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Rowdy Tellez and Lourdes Gurriel, were arguably ahead of schedule this year, posting their first winning record since 2016. If a physically fit Guerrero Jr. plays to his potential, Toronto could make life tough for teams in the American League next season.
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