The Toronto Blue Jays are in a fight to stay relevant in the AL East, and their biggest bat is swinging like a guy who can’t find the right gear. Albert Pujols thinks he knows why.
During a recent appearance on MLB Network, Pujols — a guy who hit 703 home runs and knows a thing or two about swing mechanics — broke down what’s nagging Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s approach. The clip spread fast on social media, and for Blue Jays fans, it was the kind of diagnosis they’ve been waiting for.
Pujols zeroed in on Guerrero’s hands and bat path. Specifically, the way Guerrero’s bat tip gets too far back before he starts his swing.
“I did it myself too,” Pujols said. “When I see that tip of the bat, that means that I’m taking my hands too far back. So that was a trigger for me.”
He then walked through the mechanical fix: better separation between the hands and the body before the swing launches. Guerrero, Pujols explained, needs to shorten that path. Right now, his setup leaves the bat wrapping too far behind his head, forcing him to play catch-up against elite velocity.
“He has his back here, and then he come here, and then leg kick,” Pujols said, gesturing through the sequence. “That’s the separation he needs to have here, so he can be ready to hit from that position.”
The power drop is real
On the surface, Guerrero’s numbers don’t look disastrous. He’s hitting .276 with a .358 on-base percentage and 34 RBIs. But the power is missing. Four home runs through nearly 80 games is not what the Blue Jays signed up for. He had 23 homers last season and posted a 4.6 WAR. This year, his WAR sits at 0.7.
That’s a dramatic fall for a five-time All-Star who’s supposed to be the anchor of Toronto’s lineup. And the timing couldn’t be worse. The Blue Jays are 39-43, third in the division, and still trying to find their footing after last year’s run to the World Series. They’ve won five of their last 10, but stability is elusive.
Pujols pointed out that against a 95 or 96 mph fastball, the bat tip problem turns a hitter’s swing into a long, slow loop. Hitters get less than a second to react. If the bat isn’t in the right spot from the start, the margin for error shrinks to zero.
One adjustment, big payoff
The good news is that this isn’t a strength or health issue. It’s a timing and setup thing. Guerrero is still young, still strong, and still capable of carrying a lineup for weeks at a time. If he can find that separation Pujols described, the power could return quickly.
The Blue Jays don’t have the luxury of waiting forever. The AL East doesn’t offer padding. But if Guerrero makes the fix, he could turn into the second-half monster Toronto needs. Pujols basically handed him the blueprint. Now it’s on Guerrero to use it.
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