Vladdy doesn't need advice to thrive at Home Run Derby
TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has no shortage of resources if he’s looking for advice on how to win the Home Run Derby.
He’s got plenty of teammates who can lend a hand. For instance, veteran Justin Smoak offered the following sage wisdom, which wound up sounding more like a warning:
“It’s going to wear him out. I witnessed that just watching it, the guys were beat. Four minutes whatever it is. I think [catching coach] John Schneider is throwing to him, hopefully he can get a breather too.”
It’s a valid concern, as Vladdy had some trouble keeping his pace up during a similar event in the Midwest League when he played for the Lansing Lugnuts. That was a learning experience.
"It's not the one who hit it the furthest,” he said through a translator. “It's about hitting home runs not trying to hit it far."
He’s also got a father who won the event in 2007, which an 8-year-old Vladdy in attendance - a memory that’s on the vague side.
"I just remember that he went to the finals against Alex Rios and ended up winning,” he said.
But Guerrero Jr. isn’t looking for advice from either his teammates or the old man. One of the most talented power bats to enter the game in a generation has got this one covered.
"You don't need much advice,” he said. “you just got to see it and hit it."
Helping him do that will be Schneider, who managed him with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The pair will simulate Home Run Derby conditions before batting practice a couple of times this week.
"We both know each other very well,” Guerrero Jr. said. “He's been throwing to me for a while. So he's the right guy."
The 20-year-old better hope so considering there’s a $1 million prize on the line - although he insists that’s not top of mind.
"I'm not going to go there for the money. It's something that I wanted to do."
There are plenty of Blue Jays fans who want to see him do it too.
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