Carlos Osorio/Linked Press
The Toronto Blue Jays are taking steps to maximise Vladimir Guerrero’s strengths as a hitter by easing his defensive burden starting this season.
Blue Jays supervisor Charlie Montoyo instructed journalists on Friday the 21-One year-vulnerable will be moved off third nasty to “to focal level on [first base] and [designated hitter].”
When Guerrero become making his plot by means of the minors, two things most scouting reports agreed on become his skill to hit and his restricted defensive skill situation.
“The knock on Toddler Vlad is that he is per chance a DH within the lengthy flee,” Keith Regulation wrote on ESPN.com in Jan. 2019. “He is extensive, and although he is a blinding athlete for his size, he has gotten so huge so rapidly that it is hard to mediate him at any situation, let alone third nasty, the put he is no longer rapidly ample on his toes to play now and brings simplest a plus arm to the desk.”
Despite having in fact no defensive profile, Regulation ranked Guerrero as the No. 2 prospect in MLB heading into closing season. It be a testomony to how extremely-regarded he is on the plate.
Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com wrote closing One year that Guerrero is “considered one of basically the most attention-grabbing offensive possibilities we now like considered.”
Among 24 gamers with out a longer no longer as a lot as 800 innings at third nasty closing season, Guerrero ranked closing in FanGraphs’ defensive ticket (-8.0) and Final Zone Rating (-9.4).
Guerrero did put up a promising .272/.339/.433 prick line with 15 dwelling runs and 69 RBI in 123 games as a 20-One year-vulnerable rookie in 2019.
