Great play at third base leaves fans wondering if Vladdy could handle more time there

In the eighth inning of Saturday's game, Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers hit a grounder between third base and shortstop. Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dove to his left, gloved the ground ball, got to his feet and fired a bullet to first baseman Spencer Horwitz for the out.

That's not a 2019 highlight. That play was from this season.

Saturday was the fifth game this year Guerrero started at third base, the position he played as he progressed through the Toronto farm system. Prior to this season, Guerrero hadn't started at third base since Sept. 27, 2019, which was during his rookie year. The All-Star told Rogers Sportsnet in June that third base was his favorite position, but he was willing to do whatever the team needed him to do.

In 2019, Guerrero played 824.1 innings at third base. While he has a strong arm, Guerrero's defense at third wasn't good. Guerrero's range was limited, especially on balls he had to move in on. That led to Guerrero moving to first base, where he won a Gold Glove Award in 2022.

Since his rookie year, Guerrero's play at third base has been limited to some infield work during the day or the odd inning in the late stages of a game. He made his first start June 2 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but only saw a couple of ground balls. In total, Guerrero has played 44 innings at third base this year, which isn't a big sample size to determine how effective he has been there. But the eye test suggests Guerrero may have improved enough to justify increased time. He is also in much better shape physically.

As a result of a disappointing season, the Blue Jays are expected to move a lot of players before Tuesday's trade deadline. Some of the names that have been mentioned, such as Bo Bichette and Justin Turner, include players whose absence on the roster could create a need for Guerrero to spend more time at the hot corner.

Guerrero starting at third base would allow for a starting lineup focused more on scoring runs than preventing them. And of the many things that have gone wrong in 2024, the "run prevention above all" approach might be the biggest contributor to Toronto's disappointing season. Guerrero at third and a capable bat like Horwitz at first base may be a more encouraging lineup decision.