Vlad Guerrero Jr. is looking svelte these days.
The Blue Jays infielder, who is listed at 250 pounds on his MLB.com page and told El Caribe's Yancen Pujols that he was actually closer to 280 pounds at one point, has lost 32 and counting.
"I did not get to the second [spring] training well, and I told myself that this cannot happen again. I was overweight, I said that it couldn't happen again, and I got to work at once," said per Google Translate. Guerrero is back training in Florida at the Jays complex.
“Things happen because you don't work," he said. "I finished the season more or less and put that in mind. I started with the slow swing and when I lost 20 pounds I started feeling better."
Back in January at Winter Fest, before the coronavirus and the 2020 season, he talked about getting in shape but as we all know, it's not as easy as it looks — especially in a pandemic. Guerrero, who has posted his weight loss journey on Instagram, said has cut fat from his diet and is working out every day to get ready for the 2021 season, which is evident from the pictures.
“I learned after these months of the coronavirus that if you don't work hard you can't be in the Major Leagues. Why do (Fernando) Tatis and (Juan) Soto put good numbers? Because they work hard," he said, adding he's back to at 250 and would like to be 5-10 lbs lighter. "I hit the hits I hit because of the ability that God gave me. But I knew it from the beginning. I know I did it wrong. I apologized to my teammates and decided to play like this, but I did it wrong."
This summer, the 21-year-old slashed .262/.329/.462 along with nine home runs and 33 RBI in 60 games splitting time between first and DH. Originally a third baseman, he was shifted over and also collected his first career postseason hit before the Blue Jays were swept in the opening round by the AL pennant-winning Rays. In 2019 he finished second in the Home Run Derby, losing to fellow rookie Pete Alonso by a single home run.