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Why this Blue Jay has the most pressure on him this October

The Blue Jays are going to need Vladdy to finally perform in the postseason.
Jake Ferraro
Jake Ferraro

Jays Journal

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. / Ginnie Coleman/GettyImages

2025 has been a special year for the Toronto Blue Jays. After earning an 8-5 road win at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals, the Blue Jays are officially postseason bound.

It's the fourth time in six years that the Blue Jays are headed to the MLB Postseason. 2025's team is arguably the best overall Blue Jays team of the past six years.

Although the Blue Jays are now in the postseason, they are by no means a perfect team and they will have to answer some tough questions once October begins. The Blue Jays have lost all of their postseason games since 2020 and now the Blue Jays will need one player in particular, more than ever, to silence his critics in the postseason.

Vladdy needs to finally have big postseason

While Guerrero Jr. is a talented and beloved player in Toronto, a player who will be around for another 14 years after signing a massive contract extension in April, he hasn't produced in the postseason, hitting just .136 with one RBI in 25 at-bats in six playoff games. With the Blue Jays going to the 2025 postseason, Guerrero Jr. will have to overcome his postseason struggles and show why the Blue Jays signed him long-term.

Guerrero Jr.'s postseason struggles have been a contributing factor as to why the Blue Jays have yet to win a postseason game since Game 4 of the 2016 ALCS. It all started in 2020 in Guerrero Jr.'s second year in the MLB.

The Blue Jays were swept in the 2020 AL Wild Card series against the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2022, the Blue Jays were swept in the Wild Card series at home against the Seattle Mariners. In 2023, the Blue Jays were swept in the Wild Card series against the Minnesota Twins.

Guerrero Jr. became an All-Star for the fifth time in 2025 and he has had a solid season. Guerrero Jr. has hit 23 home runs and driven in 83 runs. But now the Blue Jays will be relying on Guerrero Jr. to carry his solid regular season into the postseason. While a spot in the postseason is clinched, the Blue Jays can not only clinch the AL East, but also the best record in the AL. Six games remain on the schedule at home with three games each against the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Jake Ferraro

Jake Ferraro

Jake Ferraro is a former contributor at The Smoking Cuban, where he wrote Dallas Mavericks content from March 2024 to April 2026, including coverage of the 2024 NBA Finals. Ferraro is the former SenShot Site Expert, where he covered the Ottawa Senators for 14 months from September 2024 to November 2025. Ferraro is also a former contributor at Jays Journal, where he wrote Toronto Blue Jays content during their 2025 season, including coverage of the 2025 World Series. Ferraro graduated with his bachelor's degree in sports media from Oklahoma State University in May 2024. Toronto Sun, Yahoo, Blue Man Hoop, and Canucks Daily are sites where Ferraro's name has been mentioned in articles. Locked on Senators and The Senstennial Podcast are Senator podcasts that Ferraro has appeared on as SenShot Site Expert.