Former Blue Jays' star Vernon Wells points to overlooked factor in Vladdy’s frustrating season

As Major League Baseball gets set to return to action following the All-Star break, the Toronto Blue Jays are gearing up for the second half of the season. Sitting in last place in the American League East, the Blue Jays will need to get back on track and continue their pursuit of a wild card spot in the AL standings.

One of the keys to this mission succeeding is having star hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at his best. The Blue Jays slugger has had a frustrating first half of the season to say the least, batting .262 with six home runs, 41 RBIs, and a .703 OPS in 91 games. This ranks 62nd in the Majors and is well below previous metrics Guerrero Jr. has set in years past with the Blue Jays.

It is easy to point the finger at Vladdy and say this lack of production is his fault, and he is playing below both his potential and the expectations set by the 14-year, $500 million extension he inked in April 2025. Yet, is it really his fault? Former Blue Jays star Vernon Wells doesn't seem to think so, hinting at something else being the culprit.

"It's hard to do what he's being asked to do and lead a franchise when you've lost your running mate," said Wells over the phone while on The Fan Pregame Show with Ailish Forfar and Justin Cuthbert. The running mate he is referring to is Bo Bichette who signed with the New York Mets in January.

Bichette and Guerrero Jr. started their MLB careers together in 2019 and were the two core pillars of a Blue Jays resurgence that led to the team's first World Series appearance since 1993. Since Bichette left, the team's identity has fallen completely on Vladdy's shoulders, which has been a tough load to bear. As good as he may be, Guerrero Jr. cannot do it alone, and the first half of the season showed it.

Vladdy is finally heating up, but it will take a lot more to get the Blue Jays on track.

That said, Guerrero Jr. is finally gaining some momentum after hitting two home runs in the past ten games, one against the Padres just before the All-Star Break, but Wells believes that Vladdy cannot be the only one to revive the Blue Jays' season.

"It's not just on him," said Wells. "That's the one thing about this team, Vladdy could go hit .500 for the second half of the season, and it could not matter. It's a collective effort from pitching to one through nine in that lineup, to defensively, to base running, there are so many things that have to go right."

This is very true because baseball is a team sport. Guerrero Jr. could be the best player in baseball for the rest of the year, but if the rest of the Blue Jays don't show up, it won't matter. However, Vladdy getting going could be the spark plug the rest of the team needs to succeed. After all, he is the sole face of the franchise now, and lifting that weight on his shoulders will only help Toronto moving forward.

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