2 Blue Jays who have exceeded expectations and 2 who have fallen short through 50 games

Falling Short of Expectations

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Many people will find it surprising to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. making this list; after all, he has been producing day in and day out these past few years. So why is he on here? Well, when you have been an AL MVP finalist in 2021, as well as two All-Star nominations, to go along with a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award, expectations inexplicably become sky-high from the players and fans everywhere. Anything short of what he produced from his 2021 season would be deemed underwhelming, as he is expected to carry the team on his back to success, similar to what superstar players like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani do with the Angels, and Aaron Judge with the Yankees.

For 2023, Guerrero came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, crushing the ball hard which led people to believe MVP Vladdy was finally back. However, he endured a couple of minor injuries in recent weeks, to go along with a semi-cold streak while the Jays were on their recent skid. For the season, Guerrero is still hitting .301, with an OPS of .867, 26 runs scored, eight home runs and 34 RBI, all strong and solid numbers. But before Tuesday’s outburst against the Rays, he was on pace for about 80 runs scored, 25 home runs, and 90 RBI, which was closer to what he produced last season, as opposed to his MVP-calibre one in 2021. Nevertheless, Guerrero has the ability to break out anytime soon and could put all his critiques to rest.

But as much as we can say that he has been performing just below expectations and thus, has been a little disappointing this year, nothing beats the heart, soul and attitude of this absolute gorgeous human being when he does heart-warming gestures and actions like that shown above.