Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Josh Donaldson has offered some advice for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has struggled to hit home runs this season. Guerrero, known for his powerful swing, has only three home runs two and a half months into the season, a significant drop from his usual production.
Donaldson's Advice on Podcast
Appearing on the Get it Done League podcast with former Jays catcher Russell Martin and host Arash Madani, Donaldson suggested that Guerrero needs to focus on hitting the ball in the air. "He would be one guy I would say to 'Try to hit a homer,'" Donaldson said. "I do think he needs to just start envisioning like, let's look up to the second deck. Let's look up to the Flight Deck. Let's start looking at the Flight deck and visualizing balls going that way."
Donaldson emphasized that Guerrero doesn't need to swing harder but rather change his approach. "He has plenty of pop, plenty of bat speed. He has the pitch recognition. I just think there are times where he has to take more visual chances of looking at and trying to hit the ball more in the upper deck areas and then that will kind of flatten him out to hit the ball in the air."
Guerrero's Current Season
Guerrero is hitting .280 with an on-base percentage of .372, leading the team in that category, but his power numbers are down. He has just three home runs, while eight other Blue Jays have more. His back issues have also been a concern. Despite the struggles, Donaldson's advice is meant to help Guerrero find his power stroke again.
Donaldson, who hit 279 home runs over 13 seasons, knows a thing or two about hitting bombs. He clarified that he doesn't mean Guerrero should simply try to hit home runs, but rather focus on getting the ball in the air. "I think he just hits the ball too low, too often," Donaldson added.
Guerrero is in his eighth MLB season with 186 career home runs, averaging 29 per year. While he may figure things out on his own, Donaldson's insights could provide a helpful boost.
