No stopping Vlad Jr.: Is 30-30 season next?

Dunedin, Fla. -- When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came rumbling around third base in the bottom of the first inning in Sunday's 7-5 win over the Yankees, a locomotive just barely clinging to its tracks, the stop sign stood no chance.

Third-base coach Luis Rivera tried, but Guerrero’s head was down, his helmet beginning to bounce off his head. Guerrero hadn’t run from first to third in a while, and on this broken play, where Bo Bichette broke early from second and forced a wild throw from pitcher Luis Gil, Guerrero finally had his chance to let loose.

There are three facts to get out of the way here. Guerrero is a large man, he plays first base and he hits home runs. That combination rarely lends itself to speed, and Guerrero won’t suddenly be a threat on the bases, but there’s more in the tank than people think.

“That’s one thing about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: He could be a 30-30 [player], if he tried,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “Because he’s big, people don’t think he’s fast. We don’t want him [trying] to be 30-30, but 30-10 or 40-10? We’ll take that. He could do it. He’s just so talented.”

That 30-30 crown might belong to Bo Bichette next after he hit 29 homers with 25 stolen bases last season, but Guerrero’s underlying athleticism has always been impressive. When he was bigger in 2019 and ’20, that still showed itself with his quick feet and soft hands. Now that he’s continued to trim down, you’re seeing it more on the bases with his ability to grab an extra bag. Granted, Guerrero should have been thrown out easily on Sunday, but there’s still a few more days until results matter.

“I feel a lot better. I feel faster,” Guerrero said through a club interpreter. “I can run the bases a lot better than last year. I feel very, very good right now.”

Guerrero continues to come back to how he feels physically, which is significantly improved even from last season when he hit 48 home runs and finished as the runner-up in AL MVP voting to Shohei Ohtani.

This isn’t all about raising the ceiling of his power or athleticism, though. Guerrero has always had lightning-quick hands dating to when he was a teenager, but as the body changes, a player’s swing will naturally evolve along with it.

“When you lose weight like I did, you have to make adjustments,” Guerrero explained. “You can get faster or your hands get faster, so your timing could be faster. It’s all about adjustments, especially when I lost weight. In Spring Training, this is the moment to do that.”

Montoyo has recently toyed with the idea of batting Guerrero at No. 2 in the lineup, a spot above where he spent most of 2021. Guerrero doesn’t care where he hits, but the bump up would give him another handful of at-bats over the summer and put him right behind George Springer, who’s become a valuable resource for this young core.

Springer launched his second home run of the spring in the sixth inning Sunday, a 420-foot rocket to straightaway center that bounced off the batter's eye.

“Every day, I learn more,” Guerrero said. “He’s the kind of person and the kind of teammate who is trying to help you every day and you really have to appreciate that. That relationship has been growing every day and the respect I have for him is big. He’s here to help us with the advice he gives us. It’s great. It’s unbelievable to have George on our team.”

With expectations sky high for the team and for Guerrero, there’s no hiding for the 23-year-old superstar. Don’t expect him to blow through many stop signs in the regular season, but that should be easier when he’s rounding third in a slow trot.