Watching Vlad Guerrero Jr. launch all-star moonshots would have been fun — but the Blue Jays are better off this way

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This article was published 23/06/2021 (1608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Major League Baseball’s loss is the Blue Jays’ gain as it relates to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s decision not to participate in next month’s home run derby.

Guerrero passed on the opportunity to compete at the July 13 event in Colorado, opting for rest instead. The 22-year-old slugger, currently MLB’s top vote-getter for the all-star game, is still expected to participate in the rest of that week’s festivities.

Saying no was a difficult call and one that Guerrero didn’t take lightly. Before making an official announcement, he consulted with his peers, coaches and Hall of Fame father. The Dominican took their advice to heart, but made clear on Wednesday afternoon that the decision to not compete was his and his alone.

His stance marks a change from earlier in the month, when Guerrero said he was “more yes than no” on participating. He still wants to take some hacks. It’s just that the man who has appeared in all 72 games this season realizes by mid-July he’ll want a mental and physical break even more.

“That’s one of the main reasons I’m not going to the derby,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “The way I feel right now, I feel good. Physically I feel good and thank God everything is going well. There’s a long way to go still, and I just want to keep it that way.”

Shohei Ohtani’s involvement is a huge score for MLB, and his presence will increase the international appeal of the derby. Surrounding the Angels’ two-way player with some of the game’s brightest young stars has the chance to become a ratings bonanza for a league that could use a bit of positive press after a series of well-documented scandals.

That should still happen if Ronald Acuña Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and others sign on, but not getting Guerrero is a blow. After all, it was the Jays first baseman, not defending champ Pete Alonso, who got most of the attention the last time this event was held.

While Guerrero didn’t secure the $1-million (U.S.) prize, he put on the show of the night with 29 homers in a single round, obliterating the previous record. The thought of watching Guerrero go to work at Coors Field was even more tantalizing. His longest blast two years ago travelled an estimated 476 feet. In high-altitude Colorado, it might have approached 500. We’ll never know, and the Jays should be just fine with that.

Instead of watching their franchise player exert maximum effort in an exhibition, he will be sitting back and enjoying the action like everybody else. In a season that has been defined by injuries, that comes as welcome news.

“If he’s happy, I’m happy,” Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. “That’s his decision and his family’s decision. If he feels good about it, I’m happy for him. What I love about the kid is that he’s thinking about winning here and he wants to play every game.”

The derby might seem like a glorified form of batting practice, but it’s more complicated than that. When players take BP, they can often be seen swinging for the fences, but they’re not doing that on every pitch. Each hitter usually goes through the same routine of hitting the ball the other way, sending it up the middle and pulling it. Nobody gets fatigued because hitters only take a few swings before making way for someone else. When individual work is done, it’s in controlled settings via soft toss or off a tee. That’s much different than trying to maximize power on each stroke in a four-minute round and potentially altering mechanics to make it happen.

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The “curse” that suggests derby participants struggle later has been largely debunked in recent years. Aaron Judge won the title in 2017 and went on to hit 59 homers, while in 2019 Guerrero’s OPS was 60 points higher after the all-star break than before. But that doesn’t mean this event is risk-free and Guerrero is a man who needs a breather, even if his performance indicates otherwise.

The last time Guerrero sat out was Sept. 29, 2019. He has since appeared in 132 consecutive games, and it’s a streak he wants to keep going. Barring injury, the major-league leader in home runs (23), hits (87) and RBIs (60) plans on playing every game the rest of the way. The Jays, who are on the fringe of post-season contention, can’t afford much less.

“That’s my intention … 162 of 162,” Guerrero said. “My day off is going to be whenever the team has a day off. That’s what I have in my mind right now. I want to be in that lineup every day trying to help the team win.”

Guerrero would have made for must-see TV in Colorado. That he’s more concerned with putting on a show over the final three months than at an event where only his personal brand benefits reveals a lot about how mature he has become over the last three years. A crown in the derby would have been nice. Leading the Jays to the post-season would be even better.

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca