Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2026 season for the Toronto Blue Jays has been a massive disappointment offensively, but a huge end-of-season award prediction might just flip the script on his entire year. He hasn’t hit a single home run in Toronto all season long, and his overall production at the plate has been severely underwhelming. Yikes.
The Bat’s Been Quiet, But the Glove is Loud
You look at Vladdy Jr.’s offensive numbers and it’s rough. We’re talking about a guy who got voted into the American League All-Star team thanks to Blue Jays fans, not because his bat was on fire. That was definitely more of a popularity contest. But here’s the kicker: even with a nightmare season at the plate, his defense has been absolutely stellar, and it’s got some big names taking notice for a totally deserved award.
An End-of-Season Award Nobody Can Deny
MLB.com’s Jason Foster, Brian Murphy, and Jared Greenspan are all predicting Guerrero will snag the AL Gold Glove award as the league’s best defensive first baseman. This isn’t some fan vote, folks, this is earned. He won it back in 2022, and he’s still a rock at first base. How good are we talking? He leads all AL first basemen with eight Defensive Runs Saved and boasts a plus-6 Fielding Run Value, which is tied for first among AL first basemen with Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Schanuel, according to Baseball Savant. Plus, his four Outs Above Average rank second among his positional peers. Matt Olson might be the best defensive first baseman in all of baseball with his plus-eight Fielding Run Value, but Vladdy Jr. is right up there in the AL.
So yeah, Guerrero’s 2026 season has been an offensive trainwreck, but his defense hasn’t skipped a beat. It’s a silver lining, a huge one, that makes him a positive contributor despite the poor offensive numbers. It might not be the flashiest part of the game, but it’s seriously valuable. Let’s see him bring home that hardware!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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