Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. proving patience is the key as he has white hot series against A’s

For Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., times had been a bit rough lately as he had been mired in quite the slump for the past month. Since his three-hit, six RBI outburst against the Tampa Bay Rays back on May 23, Guerrero had been hitting only .231, with an OPS of .593, with five runs scored, two doubles, one home run, nine RBI, 10 walks and 16 strikeouts over the past 27 games prior to the weekend series against the Oakland Athletics.

For someone with the star-caliber pedigree like Guerrero who was expected to help carry the load for the team’s offence in 2023, this unfortunate string of mediocre games had drawn the frustration and ire of the Jays’ fanbase in recent times. Some wanted him to be moved down in the lineup or rested for a few games, while others even got to the point where they wanted him sent to the minors or even traded away to another team.

Well, Guerrero definitely silenced his critics and answered with his bat this past weekend against the Athletics, showing once again, patience was the key when it came to slumping superstars. In the three-game series, the Jays feasted on A’s pitching, scoring a grand total of 23 runs, matching almost their total for the past entire week. In particular, Guerrero obliterated the Athletics, going 6-for-12, including his first two home runs of the season at home at the Rogers Centre. In total, he hit .500 with a 1.738 OPS, with four runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI, which practically matched almost his entire offensive output from the past month.

As much as he had been bogged down by extensive criticism, along with being burdened with stress over the past few weeks, this sudden outburst was the perfect antidote to his ailing struggles and could provide the necessary spark that he needed to go on an offensive surge in the coming weeks when the Jays play in the critical part of their schedule.

Guerrero will look to build upon his regained confidence from this past weekend to get back to becoming a key contributor to their offence, as he did predominantly during the first month of the season. With the Jays’ run production being lacklustre at times throughout the year, look for the reinvigorated Guerrero to help lead the Jays in the stretch run as they battle it out for playoff contention.