DENVER -- Though it may be hard to believe given his tremendous ability at the plate, not to mention the prodigious force with which he smashes baseballs to the outer reaches of a ballpark, the first place Vladimir Guerrero Jr. goes when he gets to the ballpark each day is not the batting cage.

It’s third base.

“I work very hard on my defence every day,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “First thing I do when I get to the field is take ground balls.”

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In the Blue Jays’ 4-2 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday night, Guerrero doubled down the right-field line in four at-bats. But a day after belting a 436-foot home run over the centre-field wall, it was his defence that was on display.

How much does defence matter for a phenom like Guerrero, when FanGraphs Steamer projections had him finishing the 2019 season with a 4.7 WAR as a result of his production potential at the plate? The better question: Does it matter to Guerrero?

“That’s why I’ve been working so hard,” he said. “Because I know I can play defence.”

Guerrero’s frame makes for limited range at third base, and he’s got a long way to go before being considered an average defensive player. But on Saturday, we had a chance to see where he is, as well as what he might become.

In the second inning, Tony Wolters hit a ground ball down the third-base line that Guerrero backhanded and, while crossing into foul territory at the edge of the outfield grass, threw to first off-balance. The throw was offline, but that was the only issue with the play, which ended as an infield hit.

On a third-inning ground ball Nolan Arenado hit to Guerrero’s left, he hesitated but gloved the ball, then threw high to first base. Justin Smoak leaped to grab it and came down on the bag before Arenado got there.

In the bottom of the seventh, pinch-hitter Mark Reynolds hit a slow ground ball toward third, where Guerrero charged, barehanded the ball and did his best Arenado impression on a throw to first to get the out.

“It’s a process,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “He’s only going to get better. He’s 20 years old, and he’s going to get better at all of these phases of the game. He needs to improve his defence, but he has been looking better than he did when he first got here.

“That was a nice barehand play he made.”

Guerrero is a work in progress at third base, and that notion is certainly accentuated by having six-time Gold Glove Award-winner Arenado standing in the same spot when the Blue Jays are at the plate. But as wild of an idea as it is to consider that the two have anything in common defensively, Guerrero makes his case.

“It’s preparation,” he said. “I understand that Arenado is a workaholic and works very hard and is proud of his defense. So am I.”

We all know Guerrero can hit a ton. It’s his defence at third base that is in development. Saturday’s game was eventful for the phenom, and he offered glimpses of where he stands at the moment as well as what may lie ahead.