In the second inning of Tuesday's Blue Jays-Nationals game in D.C. (TOR-WAS GameTracker), Toronto phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his first home run of the 2020 season. Here's a look, at the expense of an Austin Voth slider:
And as long as we're here, an isolated look at the swing:
That's how it's done. He gets the knob angled at the catcher, drops the back shoulder below the front shoulder, keeps that bent back elbow locked in right, and leads the way with his hips. He knows what he's doing with a bat in his hands.
It certainly wasn't the most jaw-dropping blast we've seen from Vladito (it left the bat at 98.7 mph and traveled 385 feet), but it counts. That's also the 16th home run of his career, which now spans 128 games.
The 21-year-old Guerrero entered this game with a 2020 slash line of .222/.222/.222 and no extra-base hits. So this was a welcome turn of events. Speaking of which, it's also his first home run since Aug. 22 of last year. Obviously, the COVID-19 shutdown, which pushed Opening Day back roughly four months, has much to do with that. However, last season Guerrero batted just .232/.264/.293 across 87 September plate appearances with, as implied, no homers. Of course, such prolonged struggles happen to all hitters, especially 20-year-old rookies.
This season, the hope is that Guerrero takes the next step toward realizing his immense potential at the plate. He is, after all, a hitter who authored a .945 OPS in the minors despite being significantly younger than his peer group at every stop. Such outputs are fully in keeping with the scouting reports. The Jays have already moved him off third base and into a first base/DH role. Those lessened defensive responsibilities should theoretically hasten his development with the bat. Don't be surprised if Guerrero's 2020 numbers have been lifted up for good with that home run above.
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July 29, 2020 at 07:11AM
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Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits his first home run of the season - CBS Sports
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