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The Toronto Blue Jays have plenty of reasons to be disappointed over how the 2024 season has turned out for them. But they also have a few reasons to be excited over what lies ahead. One of those reasons is the resurgence of star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who, after a down 2023 season, has re-emerged as one of the game's most feared hitters.
At the time of writing, Guerrero is slashing .320/.396/.557, with his current batting average being a career-best. Moreover, he has already hit more home runs this year (27) than last season (26) despite playing in 26 fewer games — a sign that his power production is back on track. The Blue Jays star's confidence is back at an all-time high, and in fact, he sees himself towering over his peers.
“In my mind, I'm the best in the world,” Guerrero said, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
Of course, some fans will go to war for the likes of Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr., both of whom are having better all-around seasons for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals, respectively. Moreover, Juan Soto also has Vladimir Guerrero Jr. beat in terms of on-base and slugging percentage — two statistics that can capture just how impactful a hitter has been.
But Guerrero isn't too far off from the top. The Blue Jays star's wRC+ of 167 ranks fifth in the entire MLB, only behind Judge, Soto, Witt, and Shohei Ohtani — as elite of a company as it can get. Hitters of his caliber have the mindset of being the best in the world. It's what separates them from the field — the internalized knowledge that they are much better than the opposition.
The best part is that Guerrero has now been through adversity and has been hardened as a result. But the Blue Jays star's belief in himself never wavered, and it has paid off for him in a big way amid a stellar 2024 campaign.
“I never really lost sight of the type of ballplayer I am and the type of potential I have within me. It's just a process you have to go through. Thankfully I was able to get through it,” Guerrero said in his native tongue.
Despite Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s greatness, Blue Jays sit in the AL East cellar
Baseball may be the team sport where individual greatness matters the least; there are so many factors in a baseball game beyond an individual's control that it becomes hard for a top-heavy team to compete for a World Series crown. (See the Los Angeles Angels from 2018 to 2023.)
Thus, it's not a particularly big surprise that the Blue Jays have underperformed in 2024 despite getting a major bounce-back from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero could only do so much to prop up a roster that has received plenty of underwhelming performances from some of its most important players.
Only seven position players have tallied 1 WAR or more for the Blue Jays in 2024, and one of them, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, isn't even with the team anymore. The average OPS in the AL in 2024 is .710, per StatMuse; only four regulars for the team have either crossed that mark or are hovering closely around it. The Blue Jays' overall pitching performance has declined as well. This simply will not cut it for an AL East team with playoff aspirations.
