Olney on Guerrero Jr.'s struggles: 'Trying to make up for what he hasn't done'

ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney joined First Up on TSN1050 Toronto on Tuesday to discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s struggles recently and the Toronto Blue Jays' direction this year. 

Over his last 13 games, the embattled first baseman has hit just .234 with no extra-base hits and only four runs batted in across 54 plate appearances. 

Olney has heard from sources around the majors that they're surprised at his struggles this year.

"When they've seen him hit, especially in recent years when he's competed for the MVP, you couldn't imagine that he'd go through a stretch like this," said Olney.

Through the 2023 campaign, Guerrero Jr. has compiled nine home runs and 23 extra-base hits across 311 plate appearances, for an ISO (isolated slugging percentage, a measure of raw power that removes singles from the equation) of .149. That is the lowest mark in his career for a single season, and just above half the total he accrued in 2021 (.290), when he finished second in AL MVP voting and hit 48 HR in 698 PA. 

Olney likened the struggles for the 24-year-old to those of New York Yankees slugger and former MVP Giancarlo Stanton, who has hit just .088 in his last 10 games while trying to fill the void left by injured MVP Aaron Judge. 

"Over the weekend we had the Boston Red Sox and the Yankees [on ESPN Sunday Night baseball], and I was around Stanton, with Judge out - there's a lot of pressure on him and he looks terrible," he added,

"After game one of the doubleheader on Sunday, [Stanton] came out of the clubhouse and spoke with reporters, and you could just feel the weight on his shoulders because he knows how important he is."

Olney noted that he has had similar conversations with people in the Jays' organization recently regarding Guerrero Jr. "What you hear from inside the organization is that they feel like he's pressing, like he's wearing himself out," said Olney. "Like every at bat he's trying to make up for what he hasn't done, trying to shoulder the load," he said. 

While the Blue Jays seek to resolve Guerrero Jr.'s struggles internally, Olney is not concerned about the possibility of a major move being made with the coaching staff at this point. 

Toronto has lost seven of their last ten games to drop to 39-35 and are now 11-and-a-half games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.

Around this time last season, when the Jays were sputtering at 46-42, they fired manager Charlie Montoyo and promoted John Schneider to take over. The team responded to finish the year 46-28 under Schneider and earn a wild card berth.  

Olney doesn't believe a new manager will have a similar rejuvenating effect this year. "Firing a coach, I don't know that that's the best way to do things," said Olney. 

"I tend to agree more with Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who has never fired a manager mid-season," he said. "His belief is that you make your evaluations during the winter time and 'these are the guys that we have."

The Blue Jays will finish their series in Miami against the Marlins on Wednesday, then head to Toronto for a nine-game homestand against the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox.

If there was ever a time for Guerrero Jr. to hit his first homerun at the Rogers Center this season, a pair of series against the basement-dwelling Athletics and Red Sox would be it.   

"I don't think making a coaching change is necessarily going to make a difference, I think what's going to make a difference is Guerrero Jr. starting to hit the ball."