Blue Jays Drop in MLB Power Rankings With Star Slugger Lacking Power

Should the Toronto Blue Jays be concern about their star's lack of power this year?

Aug 21, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guererro Jr. (27) hits a single against the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a strong start to the season in the tough American League East.

At this point, it is encouraging to see the Blue Jays with a record over .500 and right in the mix early on in their division.

This winter, Toronto was very aggressive in free agency and on the trade market to improve this team. So far, it appears that they have accomplished that, even with some of the new additions either hurt or in a bit of a slump.

Last week, the Blue Jays were able to build some momentum with a 4-2 record against two division rivals on the road.

To begin the week, Toronto took three out of four games against the Boston Red Sox. They followed it up with a split with the Baltimore Orioles in two games after a rain out.

Will Leitch of MLB.com recently dropped the Blue Jays three spots in his MLB power rankings despite a good week. However, there is a bit of a looming concern about the lack of power from their star, Vladimir Guererro Jr.

“The timing could be better -- considering it comes on the heels of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s massive contract extension -- but it’s fair to say no one is sweating the start of Vlad Jr.’s season”

With a 4-2 record against division opponents on the road, it was surprising to see Toronto drop multiple spots in the power rankings. However, the initial concern about their star’s lack of power so far might be attributed to that.

In 17 games, Guererro is slashing .284/.347/.343 without a home run and just seven RBI so far.

Seeing the star’s slugging percentage below the .400 mark so far this campaign is rather shocking.

However, due to the recent contract negotiations, there is reason to believe that could be playing a role in the slow start.

Fortunately, that situation has been cleared up for both sides, and they should now be solely focused on baseball.

What should be an encouraging sign for the Blue Jays this year is that they are over .500 without their superstar really playing anywhere near his potential.

Guererro is going to start hitting for power sooner rather than later, and when that happens, this team might be primed for takeoff.

While it was a shock to see them drop in the rankings after a 4-2 week, the team should be pleased with that going forward.

Now, with the star locked up, they will be trying to get him hot at the plate in the second half of the month and keep piling up wins.