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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Yes, it was only soft pitches served up over the heart of the plate by his manager John Schneider on Wednesday afternoon, but once again Vlad Guerrero Jr. batting practice was a sight to behold.
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On the eve of the start to the 2024 Blue Jays season, the sweet-slugging first baseman was launching towering shots that almost scraped the roof of Tropicana Field with at least two landing in the Daiquiri Lounge at the deepest part of the park.
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It all starts to matter on Thursday in the first of four against the Rays, but Guerrero is clearly feeling good on the eve of what is an important season.
“Confidence,” the 25-year-old said when asked what fuelled a spring training campaign in which he hit .465 with ample doses of that renowned power. “That’s the first thought that I put in my head to work on and thank God I’m feeling in a good spot right now.
“The confidence helps to simplify things and to get better at-bats and see better pitches. It really helps when you have that back.”
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Guerrero is the first to acknowledge that last year was a disappointment for him at the plate. He took matters into his own hands with an aggressive off-season workout plan in Tampa and hopes to reap the rewards by feeling better physically. He is well aware that he can help ignite an offence capable of much more than it produced last season.
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“Including myself, we didn’t do the job, period,” Guerrero said of the Jays’ offensive struggles last season. “It happens. It’s in the past. We’ll focus on the 2024 season starting (Thursday.) My mental part of my game I would say is a lot better than last year. I’m just staying focused on having a good season.”
With two more years until free agency, Guerrero knows a big payday is looming. But after winning a record-setting arbitration deal with the Jays this winter he’s not going to weigh himself down with contract talk.
“I don’t feel any pressure at all,” he said during his media availability translated by Tito Lebron. “I know I have two years left. I’m not going to put pressure on that. I’m going to continue to do my job and see what happens.”
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