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[Josh Goldberg] Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 76 at-bats this month: .696 OPS, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 extra-base hits

  • August 25, 2023


[Josh Goldberg] Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 76 at-bats this month: .696 OPS, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 extra-base hits

30 comments

  3. This is going to be Vlad’s fifth season in the league.

    According to Fangraphs this will be his 3rd season out 5 that he has been below league average as a player. He doesn’t walk at an elite rate, he does not hit for average, and for three seasons he has hit for less power than you’d expect from someone who hits the ball as hard as he does.

    It’s going to be the third season where he’s only a slightly above average bat, while being a bad defender and terrible baserunner. This month he’s hitting basically hitting like Elvis Andrus. He’s been a slap hitting SS which is terrible when you play 1B.

    He really has to consider changing his approach significantly to start getting better results.

    And if he’s going to hit like this he has to be better defensively and be a smarter baserunner. His sprint speed has declined to the bottom quarter of the league. That can’t happen when you don’t hit very well either.

    At this point he’s not even worth a 100 million dollar extension, but it’s always possible that he figures it out, so it would be painful to let him go and see him start hitting elsewhere.

  4. What happened to him? Vlad in 2021 had 48 home runs and 111 runs batted in. In 2022, he had 32 home runs and 97 runs batted in. So it’s obvious the talent to be better is here.

  5. Same hitter as 2021 mysteriously missing 10-30’ off the bat despite underlying numbers looking good. Prior to missing time for a wrist injury the results looked like 2021. After that…missing distance and results that don’t align with the bat speed. Gee…what could have sapped the *in-game* power?

    If you ask the experts it must be that the league finally figured out how to pitch him (without striking him out more and while still allowing him to barrel the ball).

    It definitely isn’t that loss of distance which is merely coincidental with a wrist injury – the type of which could reduce power without limiting mobility or being a risk of further damage.

    Edit: autocorrect nuggets thanks to phone

  10. Can’t wait for all this Vladdy hate to age like the Bo hate from last season did.

  12. It’s even worse if you push his stats back to the start of the Dodgers series. He’s been scuffling for over a month now. Not a good sign

  14. Last year Bo Bichette was a league average hitter until he went nuclear in September, and he hasn’t looked back. There is still time for Vlad to turn it around but it’s now or never.

  15. Dude had one good season, he’s been in the league too long to still use the “he’s young” excuse. Maybe one of the most overhyped prospects in recent memory.

  16. Oh hush now. (Edit: this is addressed to Goldberg’s tweet, not the OP.) We know that Vlad isn’t performing as we hoped. He knows that. The entire world knows that. Why pile on?

    Take the pressure off him and let him figure it out if he can. He’s too young to have all of the world, or the fate of a ball team, on his shoulders – he’s still the youngest member of the active roster. (He’s younger than Davis Schneider.)

  17. The inability of this team to develop Vlad is indictment enough that our hitting coaches need to fucking go.

  20. ok, so what we gonna do on Aug 25th? Flip him with Springer in the lineup? Varsho even?

  21. I feel like Sportsnet is always telling us how good Vladdy is, practically shoving it down our throats.

  22. I don’t think he ever puts it together and be the guy we hoped he would be but hes going to be better than this.

  24. Yet another member of the media signaling our Vlad . Sure he has been disappointing but let’s not give Springer and Chapman a free pass . Springer over his last 30 games .200 average with a .594 ops . Chapman .200 with a .623 ops. In the month of August Vlad , Chapman and Springer have a grand total of 4 home runs.

  25. He’s hit into as many Double plays this years as he has Home Runs.

    That ain’t good.

  26. In 2020, Vladdy apologized in front of the team for not maintaining his conditioning during the layoff from COVID and vowed to rededicate himself in the offseason ([source](https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/blue-jays-atkins-confident-accountable-vlad-guerrero-jr/sn-amp/)). The next year he had his monster 2021. I’m wondering if we may not see a similar regalvanized mindset headed into this offseason? Additionally, Vladdy might want to take Bo up on his offer to come train with him in FL in the offseason.

  28. He’s perpetually close to working things out, but he doesn’t really seem to get there.

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