It’s easy to get bogged down in the low-level bookkeeping around Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s career to date. Count the degrees of his launch angle, measure the perception of extra kilos on the scale, parse the insignificant digits of his weight- on-base average - numbers that add up to an early career disappointment (so far.)
When he’s not hitting, we (I) focus too much on what he is supposed to be, we overlook what he already is: a joyful dude who loves to play baseball. And it’s a joy to watch him do just that.
The low altitude missiles he sends screaming into the stands are why we’re all here, they’ll keep his name on our lips for years to come. But there is room in my heart for more than just tape-measure home runs. Sometimes you just want to see a big guy run. And Sunday, against the wretched Rays in Tampa Bay, Vlad Jr did just that, legging out his first triple of the season and third of his career.
Let’s take a look:
The Swing
Let us not forget: Vladimir Guerrero Jr is a very good hitter. This whole spectacle begins with Vlad Jr driving a two-seam fastball from rookie Josh Fleming out towards right field. It wasn’t a terrible pitch in that it was off the plate away, even if it was a little bit high.
That’s a part of the plate that Guerrero has no problem covering, especially against left-handed pitchers. Here, he drives the ball towards the opposite field. It wasn’t barreled and wasn’t the kind of ball that often turns into a hit, given its trajectory, but direction counts too and in this case it starts off an exciting chain of events.
The Dive
Brandon Lowe is, as I understand it, not an outfielder by trade. But he is a Tampa Bay Ray so it is safe to assume he was a shortstop from birth and then developed into an all-knowing baseball genius in most other capacities, as is their tradition.
He’s also Brandon Lowe, current American League leader in Wins Above Replacement and owner of a cool .382/.447/.794 slash line against the Blue Jays in this young season, so it is perfectly reasonable to assume he can do whatever he wants against Toronto and have it work out okay.
Working in Lowe’s favour was the area of the ballpark he patrolled (the right field corner), the game situation (nobody on, one out) and the batter (our big lad with 13th percentile sprint speed.)
If Lowe lays out and makes the catch, he’s a hero! Another marvel of the Rays’ player development system. Should he come up just short, the ball is likely to bound out of play for a ground rule double. Most of the nearby fences are of the “joke stadium” variety - very small and insecure about their viability as a big league product.
Alas, the ball does not carom into the right field seats or into foul territory. It bounces up and off the very top of the last weird little section of the outfield wall in Tampa Bay’s baseball mausoleum. It bounces back into the field of play and the fun begins.
The Smile
The ball hits the wall, bouncing straight up into the air, before it thuds to the Trop’s warning track. Guerrero runs with the whole play in front of him as Lowe scampers after the ball against the fence. A wide smile crosses Vlad Jr’s face as he knows, and we all know, he’s headed for third.
The world is his oyster and the big first baseman is in flight, running hard with an extra base in his sights. This is an entertainer about to take the stage. This is a man poised to create an unforgettable moment…and he knows it.
The Chug
It wouldn’t be an indelible moment if there wasn’t some drama. While the average baseball player is likely among the fleetest human being you’d ever encounter. Even the slowest players are sure to dust a mere mortal in a foot race.
TV cameras and the general pace of the game play tricks on our minds, such we drag down the extraordinary acts we see daily on screen towards the mean. Slow runners are still fast and a “soft tosser” would cause most of us to soil our shorts.
That said, Vlad Jr looks like he was s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g after he touches second and heads for third. All optimism begins to drain from the screen as the likelihood of another out-on-the-bases increases.
Credit to the Sportsnet booth for creating drama as they cut between shots.
Lowe scrambles to find the baseball on the cold, hard turf
Vladdy wheels around second base, smiling broadly as he takes one final peek over his shoulder
Lowe fires the baseball back towards the cutoff man
Vlad chugs hard for third. His legs are moving in slow motion. Time stands still
Rays infielder Joey Wendle (?) receives the relay throw and fires to third base. This is getting dicey!
This final shot tracks the throw, which is offline as Vlad Jr slides into third base safely. He offers three claps while Luis Rivera points out the baseball, recovered by an astute pitcher backing up third base.
Relief, success, entertainment. Vladimir Guerrero Jr provides them all. And we’re all better for it.