Blue Jays MVP Rankings: Making a case for Vladdy

theScore is making a case for players who have the best chance of becoming the Toronto Blue Jays' 2022 MVP. On Friday, we examine Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s candidacy.

Pros

Guerrero isn't having the same season that he did in 2021, but he's still been excellent. The 23-year-old leads the Blue Jays in home runs, hits, runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, wRC+, win probability added, and FanGraphs offensive rating. The slugger also sits in the 90th percentile or higher in average exit velocity, maximum exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and several other categories, according to Baseball Savant. Guerrero has played some of his best baseball of the season in recent weeks, slashing .397/.453/.615 with 31 hits, 11 extra-base knocks, and a 201 wRC+ during a 19-game hitting streak. He's also been solid with the glove, leading Toronto in defensive runs saved and ranking fourth among big-league first basemen in outs above average.

Cons

There aren't many cons to focus on, but Guerrero does have the fourth-most strikeouts on the Blue Jays and his walk rate has declined from last season. The two-time All-Star's isolated power has also shrunk from .290 last year to .219, which is only good for 28th in the majors. Ground balls have been an issue: His ground-ball percentage is 49.3% compared to 44.8% from last season, and he's already hit into 17 double plays after recording 20 in 2021.

Verdict

After taking close looks at the cases for Alejandro Kirk, Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and Guerrero, there is no doubt the Blue Jays first baseman has been Toronto's MVP so far this season. There's plenty of baseball left, but Vladdy has the talent and tools to maintain this status over the next couple of months.