Why it's time for Vladdy to prove he can be THE X-Factor the Blue Jays need him to be

He doesn't have to hit a towering home run every single night. He doesn't have to make highlight real grabs at first base every inning, although he made a huge one in the tenth inning against Houston on Tuesday evening. Heck, he doesn't even have to be the guy that drives in the tying, go-ahead, or winning runs.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just has to do what has made him so dangerous all season - have quality at-bats and keep the lineup moving. When he is on, he makes everyone else better. Whether it's hitting 110 mph rockets to the opposite field, working 6-7-8 pitch walks, or bursting down the first base line to make "routine plays" anything-but that for the defence, when Guerrero gets on-base he ignites the rest of the offence.

That was evident this past weekend during the series against the Yankees. On Friday, Guerrero went 4-5 with a home run and three runs scored in the Blue Jays 7-1 win over New York. In the following two games, Guerrero went 2-4, but had a couple of plate appearances in big spots where he looked impatient and didn't come through.

No he won't get on base every at bat, but Guerrero is one of the best in the big leagues at making pitchers work, and making them regret their mistakes. In the wake of the injury to Bo Bichette, Guerrero Jr.'s role in the lineup becomes more prominent and he'll need to continually put together those plate appearances that keep the chains moving.

With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, Vladdy has already set the foundation for having a good season, but we've seen in stretches where he can get even better. Over the first five months of the season he slashed .300/.398/.500 with an OPS of .898. He had 21 home runs, drove in 68 runners and walked 71 times while striking out 76.

That 13.1 walk percentage was 18th in the league among qualified hitters, while his 14.0 strikeout percentage was the 21st best rate in the league. Those stats are from the beginning of the season up to August 18 - when Guerrero was pulled from a game against the Pirates to nurse a hamstring injury.

He was back within a week and it took him a couple of games to get going, but overall in the 13 games he's played in since that injury, Guerrero is right back to having an impact. He's slashed .327/.375/.510 with an OPS of .885 - unfortunately the Blue Jays are 6-7 in those games (going into Tuesday).

The Athletic recently wrote about each contending teams "X-Factor" and Mitch Bannon says, "George Springer will get MVP votes. Jeff Hoffman has been both a carrying force and anxiety inducer at times this year. Bo Bichette leads the majors in hits. But the Blue Jays didn’t give any of them $500 million this spring. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the face of Toronto’s franchise for a reason. At his best, he’s one of the three best hitters in MLB."

Bannon adds, "Peak Guerrero flashed in July, as he hit .333 with more walks than strikeouts. The Jays’ offence is deep and dynamic, able to thrive despite merely good play from Guerrero. But if he can regain his elite form, Guerrero can carry the Jays to their first division title in a decade."

Guerrero has never been on a Blue Jays club that is so close to a division title. He's never been on a Blue Jays club that has a legitimate shot of getting a first-round bye and if (when) they get to the playoffs, Vladdy could be a part of a Blue Jays team that could be considered a favourite to win the World Series. But before all of that, Guerrero needs to be a difference maker over these final three weeks.