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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went deep for the first time in Spring Training, Trevor Richards struck out four, and more!
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Photo credit: Kevin Sousa/USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Mar 4, 2024, 16:00 ESTUpdated: Mar 4, 2024, 16:13 EST
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Wins are wins, and they’re fun no matter what, even in Spring Training.
On Monday afternoon, the Blue Jays hosted the Philadelphia Phillies in Dunedin, defeating the National League team 5-2 to move to a 3-7 record this Spring.

Things worth mentioning… 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went deep to centre field in the bottom of the first inning to give the Jays a 1-0 lead. It was the first baseman’s first home run of Spring, but man that was a pretty swing, 2021-esque if I do say so myself.
Guerrero Jr. is looking to bounce back after a 2023 season where he slashed .264/.345/.444 with 26 homers in 682 plate appearances for a 118 wRC+ and 1 fWAR. That isn’t a bad season for most players, but for a top talent like Guerrero Jr., you’d hope for more.
Wes Parsons had the start for the Jays, finishing with a line of 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, and sat a tick below 95 mph on the fastball which also had a 43 whiff%. Somehow, he has survived roster cuts and is on the 40-man roster. Maybe the Jays see something in him?
Trevor Richards had a good outing, finishing with a line of 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. As you can imagine, he relied heavily on the changeup, as it sat 79.1 mph or 3.4 mph below his last season’s average. It had a 57% whiff% though.
Chad Green’s Spring Training struggles continued, as he gave up three hits and an earned run while striking out two batters in his two-third innings of work. The Jays are paying him $21 million for the next two seasons, so he’s got to start performing at a higher level during the season.
Monday’s game mainly featured big league relievers getting work, as Jordan Romano, Yimi García, Tim Mayza, and Génesis Cabrera were the other four big league relievers that pitched today. In terms of prospect, only Abdiel Mendoza, Alejandro Melean, and Brandon Eisert pitched, with the latter striking out two batters in his inning of work to pick up the save.
The Blue Jays only had seven hits, with Guerrero Jr. picking up two, Bo Bichette, Luis De Los Santos, Justin Turner, Orelvis Martinez, and Payton Henry picking up the remaining five. The Jays haven’t really had a game where they’ve had a bunch of hits, and it’s starting to get a bit concerning.
Toronto is back in action on Tuesday at 1:05 PM ET, as they’ll head to Bradenton, Florida to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s expected that José Berríos will make his second start of the spring.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO

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