Five years after debut, Vlad returns to center of Blue Jays' future hopes

TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the great hope again.

He’s been here before, the babyface kid who walked into Rogers Centre for his big league debut over five years ago wearing the jersey of his famous father.

Vladdy is his own man now, a father himself and a four-time All-Star at 25 years old. When Guerrero walked through these doors in 2019, and Bo Bichette soon followed behind him, a six-year window opened for this organization. Five years in, all that’s blown through is the breeze, but Guerrero is right back where he started, the shining source of hope in a dark room.

In Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Rays, Guerrero launched his fifth home run in six games and his 18th of the season. He may no longer be the 50-homer bat the baseball world dreamed of when he was the No. 1 prospect in MLB, turning those poor Minor League pitchers into highlight reels every night, but he’s finally settling into an identity for what feels like the first time since his brilliant 2021 season.

“He can do some things that people can’t do,” manager John Schneider said.

So much has changed since Guerrero debuted. The shortcomings of the past few seasons are his own, not those of the core that came before him. Some of the frustrations in this window belong to Guerrero, who spent a couple of seasons playing only good baseball when the Blue Jays needed him to be great, but it’s suddenly time to talk about the future. With stars like Guerrero, who are so good when they’re so young, the future always feels so far away, but the realities of baseball have come knocking.

If the Blue Jays truly believe they can compete for the World Series in 2025, Guerrero and Bichette’s final year of control, then Guerrero needs to be at the forefront. If this organization envisions anything other than a full teardown in '26 and beyond -- which it shouldn’t, given the Blue Jays’ proven ability to spend some cash -- then Guerrero can still be the face of this next window.

“I control what I can control. This is my team,” Guerrero said through a club interpreter. “Every day, I’m going to come here and I’m going to give all that I have to my team. I know there’s rumors out there that a lot of things are going to happen or not, but I’m controlling what I can control.”

Whether it’s a soft rebuild, a retool, a pivot or any other team-building buzzword, Guerrero can fit in it. He’ll land right back in trade talks if the Blue Jays stumble again next year -- those same trade talks he’s on the periphery of right now -- but the Blue Jays could still have their chance to keep Guerrero in Toronto long-term, even if a trip to the open market is all part of the process -- unless Guerrero shocks the baseball world by signing an extension a year away from free agency.

The heart of this season has brought a shift from the fan base, too, which matters. It feels like there’s a clearer understanding now that, even if Guerrero’s 2021 season was a top-end outlier, he can still be the face of this organization. Even between his recent home runs, every ball Guerrero makes contact with is a rocket.

“It’s fun to watch him right now, really,” Schneider said. “It’s even fun to talk to him about his plan going in. When you combine his talent, being confident, seeing results and sticking to a routine, this is what you see. He’s dangerous on every single pitch that he’s looking at. It’s fun to watch him right now.”

Guerrero, always one to downplay even his finest moments when the cameras are on, just smiled.

“Things are going my way now. Things are going my way,” Guerrero said. “Obviously, I’m hitting the ball hard. I’m connecting with the ball where I want to connect with it. Things are going my way and they’re all falling now. Before, there were some balls I hit hard that weren’t falling, but I’m feeling good right now.”

He’s entertaining. There’s a hope, again, that when Guerrero steps to the plate, you might just see something cool happen. This season has taught us how valuable that is. Guerrero is, in what’s getting close to his election year, skyrocketing up the polls.

So much has been missing from this season, but the hope that tomorrow could be better -- or next year or the next -- still lives in Guerrero.