Toronto Blue Jays Superstar Surprisingly Predicted To Make All-MLB Second Team
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The Toronto Blue Jays have gotten off to a slow start in the 2025 MLB regular season with a 13-15 record.
They are lucky to not be worse, as their run differential more closely resembles a team that is 11-17. Struggling to generate offense consistently, they are relying on some excellent pitching performances to bail them out.
If the Blue Jays are going to climb out of this early hole and be a factor in the playoff picture in the American League, they need their lineup to start producing at the clip they are capable of.
All eyes are on designated hitter Anthony Santander, who has been a major bust for the team as their free agent splash of the offseason. He has a .179/.261/.302 slash line, but is far from the only person who has yet to hit their stride.
Another player who has gotten off to a surprisingly slow start is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The four-time All-Star now has some heightened pressure to perform after agreeing to a historic 14-year, $500 million extension with the team, a deal that includes a $325 million signing bonus.
Through 121 plate appearances he has a .272/.372/.388 slash line with only two home runs and six doubles with 12 RBI.
Not awful numbers by any means, but the Blue Jays are expecting and need more from him as the centerpiece of their lineup.
He has started to show signs of turning things around, which is part of the reason why he was voted as the All-MLB Second Team first baseman, as shared by Jason Foster of MLB.com.
“He came into play Monday with a .905 OPS over his past 10 games. He remains one of the most feared sluggers in the baseball, with elite bat speed (MLB's 94th percentile) and a 50 percent hard-hit rate,” he wrote.
Guerrero beat out Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies and Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves for a spot on the second team. New York Mets star Pete Alonso earned the nod for the first team.
Voting for the Toronto superstar could be based more off of a projection for what is to come than what he has accomplished thus far.
A slow April raised some eyebrows in 2024 before Guerrero finished with a .323/.396/.544 slash line with 30 home runs, 44 doubles and 103 RBI. He recorded a batting average north of .300 in each month after April, finishing sixth in the AL MVP voting and winning the Silver Slugger Award.
A repeat of that would certainly be enough to warrant a spot on the All-MLB Second Team and help keep the Blue Jays competitive in what looks to be a wide-open AL playoff picture.
