From StevePhillipsGM: Blue Jays taking risk with timing of Guerrero's move to first. MORE:
Last week, the Toronto Blue Jays made the bold decision to move phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. across the diamond. The Jays third baseman has become the new first baseman. The move in and of itself was not all that bold. It was predictable that, at some point, the stocky third-sacker would make the move. Guerrero did grade out as the worst defender in baseball last season. It’s evident that the young slugger’s offense was a far better part of his game than his defence.
My experience is that position changes are best served as a result of an end-of-the-season meeting where the players buys-in and has an entire off-season to commit to the change. To be fair, Guerrero is saying all the right things. But this feels rushed. It may be that the Jays calculate that the combination of Guerrero at first base andat third won’t be any worse than the other way around so why not start the learning curve for Vlad Jr.
As a general manager, these are things that one considers when making a decision like this. Maybe the impact won’t be as substantial as I worry. I hope it works out and he explodes this season, but the risk of making the move now outweighs the reward for me.Ballplayers are creatures of habit. They don’t like surprise or disruptions to their routines. They like to plan out their days. Many players wake up at the same time every day.
If the federal government overrules the province and city leaders and the Jays can’t play in Toronto, Buffalo is the second-best option. Keeping players and staff healthy is more important than the quality of the facility. Dunedin would provide a high-quality playing facility and convenient access to rest of the player pool at the minor league campus. However, the profound spike in positive COVID-19 tests in Florida makes that too risky.
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