This past offseason was a roller coaster of emotions for the Toronto Blue Jays fan base. The Blue Jays signed outfielder Anthony Santander and starting pitcher Max Scherzer. Even after these moves, it was thought that superstar Alex Bregman would land north of the border, but that didn't happen. General manager Ross Atkins was under a lot of heat with fans once rumors regarding Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s future began to float around.
Ultimately, the Blue Jays and Guerrero came to terms on a massive contract extension that is good for the next 14 seasons and worth $500 million. The Blue Jays have made some great moves that have put them in a position to be contenders for years to come. However, they are not currently performing to their complete potential and an offseason coaching change could be to blame.
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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. power numbers down like the rest of the Blue Jays
A season ago, Guerrero hit .323 on the year with 30 homers and 103 RBIs. Just like his father, Guerrero is known for hitting the ball out of the ballpark. So far in 2025, the Blue Jays slugger only has one dinger under his belt.
Prior to the start of the season, the Blue Jays hired David Popkins as their hitting coach to replace Guillermo Martinez. Under Martinez, the Jays were striking out at an alarming rate and were failing to score runs with runners in scoring position. Popkins was hired to cut down on those strikeouts and find ways to score runs under any circumstance.
Popkins' approach has most certainly worked in one aspect as the Blue Jays strike out the third-least of any team in Major League Baseball. The trade-off to that is that players like Guerrero are no longer hitting for power.
There is nothing wrong with the old-school approach of playing small-ball, cut down on strikeouts and make productive outs. In fact, to this day that still remains the most efficent way to play the game. It still remains a little concerning that Popkins' approach could be taking away one of the most valuable assets of guys like Guerrero who earned their massive contracts by hitting baseballs out of the stadium.