"A superstar slugger cannot be relied on like the take-over-a-game greats in other sports. You can't get him the ball again and again. You can't give him more minutes at the expense of the end of the bench. He needs other guys before and after him in the order to make his contributions mean something. Even if he's the best hitter who ever lived, more often than not he fails at the plate."
"Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been pegged for greatness since he was born during spring training of 1999, after a season in which his father hit .324 and bopped 38 homers at a mere 23 years old. A top prospect as a teenager, Guerrero the younger debuted for Toronto at age 20 and was immediately a solid big-league hitter. The next couple seasons were made weird by COVID, but he dominated in 2021 with an OPS+ of 167 that was higher than Vlad Sr. ever achieved."
Baseball's lineup structure prevents a superstar slugger from being repeatedly relied upon like take-over-a-game greats in other sports. A slugger needs capable hitters before and after him in the order to make his contributions meaningful. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. emerged as a top prospect and became an immediate big-league hitter, peaking with a dominant 2021 season marked by an OPS+ of 167. Individual talent could not carry the Blue Jays to postseason success, and the team underperformed despite Guerrero's resurgence. Toronto locked Guerrero into a 14-year, $500 million contract in April. The team's slow start shifted around Canada Day, anchored by a pivotal hit.
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