TORONTO — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. plans to be in fighting shape this season.
The Toronto Blue Jays' young star says he's been on an intense offseason training regime in order to be ready for the 2020 campaign. After hitting .272 with 15 home runs and 69 RBI in 123 games in 2019 — his rookie season — Guerrero aims to be leaner come spring training.
Listed on MLB.com at 6-2 and 250 pounds, the 20-year-old slugger says he's been working hard to trim down as the new season approaches.
"I'm just following the routine that the team has given me and we'll make some adjustments, some changes, and thankfully I feel a lot better and it's been working good for me," Guerrero told reporters on Saturday through a translator at Winter Fest, the Blue Jays' annual January fan event at the Rogers Centre. "I just feel a big change in me, I feel lighter. And I will continue with that. Still one month to go, pretty much, to spring training so I'm not done yet."
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Guerrero says it's his "entire body" that he's trying to transform by improving his overall health and slimming down without losing any of the trademark power that has made him one of the most exciting young prospects in baseball. To that end, the Montreal-born third baseman has been hitting the gym while still keeping his baseball skills at the forefront.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just hit this to an alternate dimension where his dad still plays for the Expos.pic.twitter.com/TOzBuS7e7T
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) May 23, 2019
"It's different things every day, but first of all we do our all our baseball things: throwing ground balls, [and] of course hitting," Guerrero says of his new daily routine. "Then we do weightlifting a little bit, and then we do cardio."
A healthier, happier Guerrero can only mean good things for the Blue Jays as they forge ahead with their young core. Heading into his second year in the big leagues, Guerrero is all in on the team's plan to get the most out of his abilities by helping him reach his physical peak. He believes it'll help him get out of the gates quickly come the beginning of the regular season in March.
"The goal here between the front office staff and myself is just [for me] to be out there in more games, trying to play 150 games at third base, and I think we'll accomplish that," Guerrero said. "The most important thing is I'm just starting to [feel healthier] and I feel a lot of strength right now in me. I think I'm gonna have a good start."
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Given the substantial weapons in Guerrero's offensive arsenal, getting him started on the right foot is an obvious goal for Toronto. But for his sake, Guerrero isn't setting any individual objectives for the upcoming season other than playing more baseball than last year.
"I just want to be in the lineup every day. The rest will come," he said. "I don't want to [make] any personal goals about hitting right now, I just want to stay healthy all year and just somehow try to help the team win."