Toronto Blue Jays Slugger Predicted To Win Tight Race To Start on AL All-Star Team
The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the hottest teams in baseball recently, winning nine out of their last 11 games to push their record to 35-30 on the season.
They are now only 4.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East standings and are holding the final wild card spot in the league.
If they want to hold onto that spot, they need their offense to start picking things up more consistently.
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Expect the Blue Jays to be one of the more active teams in the league ahead of the trade deadline, looking to plug holes in their lineup and pitching staff.
One of the positions they won’t be looking to address this year or any time soon is first base, where Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be entrenched for the long-term future.
He agreed to a 14-year, $500 million extension with Toronto earlier in the season, putting to rest any questions about where he will be playing in the future as he was set to hit free agency this upcoming offseason.
Now locked in long-term, expectations are on the rise for Guerrero as the face of the franchise and their cornerstone foundational piece.
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While his numbers haven’t been as prolific yet, he is predicted to live up to some of the lofty expectations and be named to the American League All-Star team for the fifth time in his career.
David Schoenfield of ESPN not only predicted that Guerrero will make the team, but also believes that he will be in the starting lineup at first base, beating out Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays, Paul Goldschmidt of the Yankees and Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers.
“I'll stick with Guerrero as the starter. Nobody else has done quite enough, although any of the four could separate from the pack with a hot June. I'll make Aranda the backup, a nod to his nice start,” Schoenfield wrote.
On the season, the Blue Jays star has a .273/.380/.417 slash line with an OPS+ of 124. He has hit eight home runs with 11 doubles and 28 RBI.
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The power outage is a bit concerning, currently producing a career-low 2.8% home run rate, but he is capable of getting hot in an instant.
With the team’s overall production improving, it won’t be long until Guerrero’s numbers look more like what the franchise has become accustomed to seeing from him over the last few years.
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