Vladimir Guerrero Jr credits David Popkins' hitting philosophy for his 2025 playoff surge
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Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is entering a new phase of his career, and he's crediting hitting coach David Popkins for helping spark it.
It's hard to believe, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr has already spent a decade in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
Still just in his mid-20s, he has firmly established himself as one of baseball's premier hitters, yet there's a growing sense he hasn't even peaked.
After a relatively underwhelming regular season by his standards, Guerrero flipped the script when the lights were brightest.
The slugger erupted in the postseason, batting an eye-popping .397 with eight home runs and 15 RBI - a dramatic jump from the 23 homers he hit during the regular campaign.
According to Guerrero, the difference stemmed from a subtle but meaningful adjustment at the plate, one encouraged by hitting coach David Popkins.
Instead of prioritizing going the other way, Guerrero shifted his focus to doing damage.
"In the playoffs, every time I went to the plate, I looked for damage," Guerrero explained on MLB Network. "In the season [I just] tried to take the ball the other way. Now, [Popkins] tells me let's do the same, let's go to home plate and do damage."
Throughout his career, Guerrero has become a strong opposite-field hitter, an ability that helps neutralize defensive shifts and keeps him from being overpowered on the outer half.
But consistently trying to drive the ball the other way can sometimes limit a hitter's aggressiveness and power output.
That approach didn't disappear entirely in October, but it was no longer the primary objective. Instead, Guerrero hunted pitches he could drive, trusting his natural strength and bat speed to take over.
"In the playoffs I know they're going to pitch me around, so I'm just trying to get them to come in the zone. If you come in the zone, you know I'm raking it."
Guerrero expected to anchor offense in 2026
With Bo Bichette no longer in the picture and Anthony Santander out for the foreseeable future, Toronto's offensive outlook in 2026 will hinge heavily on Guerrero anchoring the lineup.
If his postseason approach carries into a full regular season, he could elevate himself into legitimate American League MVP consideration.
For Guerrero, though, individual accolades aren't the priority. His focus remains on finishing the job.
"To win you have to lose first," Guerrero said. "That was in the back of my mind. It's god's plan. We weren't feeling how we wanted to, but we've got to keep going and keep continuing to play hard to try and win it again."
It will be intriguing to see how much of an impact Guerrero will be this season with his new found adjustment.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 24|114 ANSWERS Vladimir Guerrero Jr credits David Popkins' hitting philosophy for his 2025 playoff surge Do you think Vladimir Guerrero Jr will have a better season in 2026? | ||
| Yes | 98 | 86 % |
| No | 6 | 5.3 % |
| Too early to tell | 10 | 8.8 % |
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