Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finding ...

Prior to the current series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. generated a lot of media attention by reiterating his declaration from the previous season that he would never wear pinstripes.

It was a plot that allowed the outgoing first baseman to turn the tables, drawing boos from the crowd at Yankee Stadium, which was unusual for a guy who is frequently greeted warmly away from home.

Guerrero's performance was unaffected by the extra attention, if at all. The 24-year-old had a 4-for-11 series record and hit two spectacular home runs with two different swings. The first was a 417-foot soaring field goal that gave the Blue Jays an early lead in Friday's 6-1 victory.

The second was a low liner that resembled Giancarlo Stanton traveling at 112.6 mph and not at much sinking. Late on Sunday, it gave the Blue Jays a lead, increasing their likelihood of winning from 46.2% to 76.4%.

Guerrero is a great slugger who has 80 home runs over the last two seasons, so it's not all that unexpected to see him knock two long balls in a row. Nevertheless, it was noteworthy for a few reasons.

The first is that, before his impressive outing in the Bronx, he hadn't shown much power this season. Guerrero had four extra-base hits in 19 games and an ISO of.135 going into the series against the Yankees.

So instead of a strong start with a clear warning sign, we're now looking at a guy who is essentially hitting every pitch correctly.

Guerrero's power show is crucial for the Blue Jays for a second reason: despite great starts from Matt Chapman and Bo Bichette, the team has struggled to produce extra-base hits all season.

The Blue Jays haven't had much of a problem hitting home runs since Guerrero and Bichette entered the scene in 2019, but the 2023 team hasn't yet had the same impact as its predecessors.

Teoscar Hernandez was a top-tier power threat for the Blue Jays, but he was traded away, and Kevin Kiermaier, a light-hitting outfielder, was given one of his starting places. The focus on speed and defense is greater than it was in 2022.

Daulton Varsho and Brandon Belt, who the Blue Jays acquired in the summer, have combined for just three home runs in 138 at-bats, so they haven't provided much power for the team.

Danny Jansen, who in 2021 and 2022 recorded MLB's 10th-best ISO among players with 400 or more plate appearances, hasn't contributed much offensively either. Only four extra-base hits have been produced by George Springer, in part due to his terrible luck.

Even though Toronto endeavored to create a more balanced team this summer, their punishing lineup is still supposed to remain its strength. The club now has the 16th-lowest run total in the majors, partly as a result of its inability to produce extra-base hits.

Guerrero, although consistently reaching base, was a part of the issue for the most of the season. He now appears to be set up to be the focal point of the solution.