When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. arrives at spring training next season, the Blue Jays expect their big-name third baseman to report in “overall better condition” than he was in this year.
The 20-year-old, listed as six-foot-two and 250 pounds by Major League Baseball, recently announced his intention to work out diligently over the winter. His conditioning was also mentioned as an off-season priority by Ross Atkins at the general manager’s end-of-season availability on Tuesday.
It was the main topic at Guerrero’s exit interview with Atkins and manager Charlie Montoyo, who say improvements in that area will help every aspect of his game.
“We think that that priority will help him with his ability to play 162 (games), his ability to be a better overall defender and his ability to be a better overall offensive player,” Atkins said.
The GM wouldn’t offer a target weight for Guerrero come February, but said he hopes it’s “significantly less than he reported at last year.”
“It’s not as much about the actual number as it is about his overall body composition and the overall range of motion and the overall strength,” Atkins added.
The Jays have drawn up a plan for Guerrero’s off-season regimen. The infielder has previously said he wasn’t sure how he would split his off-season time, between his native Dominican Republic and the Jays’ Florida complex. Atkins said the more time Guerrero spends with the team, the better.
“He’s going to spend significant time with us,” he said.
What kind of shape Guerrero is in will factor into his future at the hot corner, where he committed 17 errors in 123 games. Atkins said he hasn’t spoken with Guerrero about a switch from third to first base, and reiterated that the club is “committed to giving him this off-season to do everything he can to put his best foot forward there.” His progress, the GM said, will be monitored month-to-month.
The Jays expected Guerrero to experience fatigue in his first big-league season, and Atkins said that was a factor in giving the rookie rest days. The GM also said that Guerrero deserves credit for acknowledging that his conditioning needs work.
“I think when you wake up and perform at such an elite level, reflection’s less necessary,” Atkins said. “He just didn’t perform at the same level that he had over the course of his minor league career and amateur career and felt differently, so reflection occurred and maturity occurred.”
Guerrero arrived in late April with rookie of the year potential. He fell short of those lofty expectations with a .272/.339/.433 slashline, 15 home runs and 69 RBIs.
Atkins said facing better pitching is always a factor, but praised the 20-year-old’s ability to put the ball in play and the fight off tough pitches: “I think the bar was set very high for him publicly, and what we feel that he accomplished is very positive in the grand scheme of things.”
In other areas:
- Starting pitching will be the No. 1 priority again this off-season. Durability, reliability and strikeouts are among the attributes Atkins is looking for. Next year’s rotation? “Nothing is etched in stone,” Atkins said, adding that right-hander Trent Thornton is probably the closest to earning a spot off the current roster. Other contenders include Jacob Waguespack, T.J. Zeuch, Sean Reid-Foley, Anthony Kay and Ryan Borucki — who is expected to be healthy by spring training. They’re also considering bringing back 33-year-old right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who went 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA in five starts before tearing the ACL in his left knee. Atkins said Shoemaker has made “incredible progress” and has been throwing.
- The outfield (centre in particular) and first base are areas where they could look outside for improvements. Atkins said bringing back free agent first baseman Justin Smoak remains an option, but the club would consider more versatile options.
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Sign Up Now- Off-season plans for the Rogers Centre include roof work and “some other major infrastructure changes” that will be rolled out later in the off-season, according to club president Mark Shapiro.
- The bulk of their capital expenditures will go toward their spring training home in Dunedin, Fla. The stadium is expected to be completed by February “barring a natural disaster,” Shapiro said. At Toronto’s nearby minor league complex, new fields and batting tunnels are expected to be done by spring, but the 110,000-square-foot building won’t be completed until about July.
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October 02, 2019 at 09:14AM
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