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Vladimir Guerrero’s struggles were emblematic of the Blue Jays’ 2026 season
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Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Oct 14, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 13, 2026, 23:03 EDT
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It was a tough season for the Toronto Blue Jays, and the biggest reason for it was the performance of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Safe to say, it was a season to forget for the Blue Jays’ superstar first baseman. After going off in the 2025 postseason, hitting a franchise-high eight home runs en route to an American League pennant, the 27-year-old managed to hit just nine in 2026.
Safe to say, it wasn’t a good season for the first baseman.

How Guerrero Jr.’s season went

There were many contributing factors to the Blue Jays’ lack of success in 2026, but Guerrero Jr.’s performance was the largest of the bunch. struggling to jump over .500 for essentially the entire season, the Blue Jays were in hunt for a wild card spot in early September, even ending the night of September 5th in the final wild card. However, they struggled after that and missed the playoffs by five games.
If Guerrero Jr. was a slightly-above league average hitter like he was in his first two seasons, the Blue Jays. Instead Guerrero Jr. had a career-worst season, slashing .260/.332/.356 with nine home runs in 609 plate appearances, good for a 95 wRC+. That’s not great, considering 2026 was the first season of his $500 million extension.
The lone saving grace for Guerrero Jr. this past season was his defence. There’s a strong chance he’ll end up winning his second Gold Glove award at first base, finishing the season with 10 Defensive Runs Saved, 6 Outs Above Average, and 6 Fielding Run Value. Still, that doesn’t make up for a 95 wRC+ and single digit home runs from a position that demands offensive production.
What’s even more of a mystery is why Guerrero Jr.’s season went as poor as it did. The first baseman has been rather inconsistent throughout his career, having two average seasons before breaking out in a huge way in 2021. After that, he had a strong 2022 season, then a mediocre 2023 season, before another strong season in 2024 and a strong season in 2025. At this point, it’s a trend.
Since 2021, Guerrero Jr. played a career-low 144 games, missing time due to a concussion and some back issues. To his credit, the first baseman didn’t use the back as an excuse for the lack of production, but he recently underwent laser eye surgery, which could’ve played a big part into the season he had.
When this team is good, Guerrero Jr. is the engine of the offence. If he had a season similar to 2025, the Blue Jays probably make the playoffs. But in the end, he didn’t, and the Jays followed up a heartbreaking World Series defeat with an awful 2026. If they want to make it back to the World Series, Guerrero Jr. needs to rebound in 2027, it’s as simple as that.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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