Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2026 season gave the Toronto Blue Jays plenty to think about, but Joey Votto isn’t ready to write off the slugger after one rough year.
Toronto’s season ended well short of expectations after the club followed its 2025 World Series run with a 79-83 finish that kept it out of the playoffs. Guerrero was not the only reason the Blue Jays stumbled, but his production was part of the problem.
After launching eight home runs in 15 playoff games the previous fall, he managed only nine long balls across 144 regular-season appearances. The power dip came with a broader decline, too: Guerrero finished at .260 with 57 RBI, both low marks for him over a full 162-game season.
Votto, speaking Thursday on Sportsnet’s Blair & Barker, said the issue looked less like a permanent change and more like a timing problem that snowballed over the course of the year.
"Every single time you approach that stop sign, you [would go] through it. You couldn't brake at the right time," Votto explained. "That's basically what happened to his barrel this year."
The former MLB star said the swings, broken bats, jammed contact and ground balls that piled up for Guerrero pointed to a hitter trying to do too much with his body instead of letting the barrel work.
"He has to figure out a way to get his body out of the way and let his barrel do all the moving," Votto said.
Even with the rough numbers, Votto sees a foundation that doesn’t go away. Guerrero’s raw strength, in his view, is still one of his biggest assets.
"He will never need to try to hit the ball hard," Votto said. "He's one of the top guys with that, and that's the sort of thing that doesn't age. You'll always be able to hit the ball hard."
Votto also pointed to Guerrero’s father as the model for the kind of hitter the Blue Jays star should study.
"His dad is textbook for what kind of hitter he should be. Less body, more simple swings," Votto said.
And while Guerrero’s 2026 season was clearly a disappointment, Votto still believes the 27-year-old can get back on track and end up with a Hall of Fame case of his own.
"Vladdy's a phenomenal player, and I would bet on him becoming a Hall of Fame player similar to his dad," Votto said. "We as hitters sometimes have bad stretches, and this was hopefully Vladdy's one bad stretch in the course of his career."
Toronto is banking on exactly that kind of bounce-back. Guerrero signed a 14-year, $500-million extension with the Blue Jays in 2025, a deal that runs through 2039. With the franchise’s long-term plans tied tightly to him, getting Guerrero back to his usual offensive level will be one of the biggest storylines heading into 2027.
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