Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is putting himself in a position to pull off a feat no other Toronto Blue Jays player has ever done.
Through Wednesday, Guerrero is batting .358, which is the second-best in the big leagues. Only fellow first baseman IldemaroVargas of the Arizona Diamondbacks has a better batting average (.372) among qualified players, so far in the 2026 MLB campaign.
Guerrero is also tied atop the hits leaderboard with Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin and Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who have 39 each.
As pointed out by StatMuse, the Blue Jays have never produced a batting champion. There is still a long way to go in the season, but Guerrero has emerged as among the early candidates to win the batting title, at least in the American League. He boosted his numbers after going 3-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 1 walk in Wednesday’s 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
Guerrero isn’t hitting deep balls (1.6% home run rate) at the same pace he’s done in previous years, but he has an incredible .402 batting average on balls in play. That is an unsustainable BABIP, but he should continue to be a big threat to opposing pitchers the rest of the way.
