Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picks the perfect Blue Jays legend to emulate in October

A whole generation of Toronto Blue Jays fans grew up emulating Joe Carter's 1993 World Series heroics in backyards and neighborhood ball diamonds. Unfortunately, fans young and old who were lucky enough to watch the back-to-back championship teams of the early 90s on that moment of playoff glory for more than two decades.

Then it was José Bautista and Edwin Encarnación who came along to give us more franchise-defining postseason moments. Now, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays' current franchise icon, wants to give a new generation of Canadian baseball fans a new playoff moment to hang their hats on this October. If there's anyone who can do it, it's Guerrero.

Blue Jays fans hoping Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has his Joe Carter moment this October

As the Blue Jays embark on their 2025 playoff quest, Guerrero wants to be just like Carter, whose name carries the weight you'd expect for someone who hit a World Series-winning home run. Guerrero brought up Carter's name on Wednesday at Rogers Centre when asked "where he’d like to fit in the pantheon of big homers" in Blue Jays franchise history, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun.

"I say I want to be a (Joe) Carter, a winner," Guerrero told reporters on Wednesday, per Longley. "A home run. A double (it doesn’t matter). Especially if we win (the World Series). My dad never won one and I always told my dad if we win one, I might give him the ring. That’s my goal. Trying to win it all."

That's a bold statement for sure. But Guerrero, who has never been shy about making bold statements, is genuine. His name is synonymous with the current era of Blue Jays baseball and will continue to be for years to come after he signed that mammoth $500 million contract earlier this year.

It's no secret that Guerrero hasn't had the season we all expected at the plate, at least from a power perspective. He hit just 23 home runs in 156 games, his lowest output in a non-shortened season since he hit 15 in 123 games in his 2019 rookie season. It looked like he was coming around in August, when he parked six balls over the fence, but he hit only two in September.

The trade off is that Guerrero finished the regular season with a .292 batting average, his second-highest mark in the last four seasons. He was still a ways off from replicating his impressive 2024 season, when he hit .323 with 30 homers. But he's still Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and he still has one of the most fearsome swings in the game.

Whether it's a home run or a double — heck, Blue Jays fans would take in infield single if it means winning the World Series — fans will surely be hoping the 26-year-old superstar can come through when the pressure is the highest and the lights are brightest this postseason. In his Joe Carter moment.