The problem with Vladdy

What the heck is the matter with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?  He's definitely not himself.  Is it physical?  Is it psychological?  Probably a combination of both.  It's certainly not age.  He's only 27 years old.  However, he has experienced back problems this season, and has been plagued by tight, tired hamstrings recently.  After resting for two games, he hit his seventh home run of the season on Saturday, August 8th in Philadelphia against the Phillies.

Guerrero has obviously been hurt and fatigued this season.  Why wasn't he placed on the Injured List earlier in the season earlier this year.  He might have returned to the lineup refreshed and rested, able to contribute more , especially in terms of power hitting.

Vladdy is supposed to be a superstar, the face of the franchise, but he hasn't been playing like one.  He's still an excellent defensive first baseman.  He still hits singles and doubles, but his batting average has gone down, and his power hitting is just a shadow of what it once was.  Where is the player who in 2021 led Major League Baseball in home runs (48, tied with Salvador Perez), runs scored (123), batting 311/401/601. Where is the player who on July 10, 2023 won the MLB Home Run Derby in Seattle and hit a final round record of 25 home runs?            

Players have slumps.  That's not unusual.  But slumps eventually come to an end.  Everybody thought Vladdy would snap out of his.  It should have happened by now, but it hasn't.  It's August 11th and he only has seven home runs to date.  Not only that, but he hasn't even hit a home run in the dome yet this year.  

Vladdy is under more pressure than other Blue Jays because he signed a 14-year, $500 million extension with the Jays, one of the largest in MLB history.  He is expected to produce, but sometimes his mind and his body just can't do it.

- Joanne

Summer reading in August

Although the back-to-school commercials have started, summer is not yet over.  There is still plenty of time to relax with some summer reading.  Why not curl up on your patio or backyard with a good book,  or if you prefer, read it in ebook form.  Check out my author's page by clicking on the link below.

Joanne Madden – Author

Are you looking for some mysteries, thrills and suspense?  Then read my latest novel, The Roving Reporter: Spanning the Globe in the 1990s, and follow the adventures of Sandra McKay, the intrepid reporter from Prince Edward Island.  In the first “Reporter” novel, The Missing Reporter, which takes place in 1989, Sandra is kidnapped while working as a crime reporter for the CBC.  

The Roving Reporter is the second installment of my “Reporter Trilogy” featuring the spunky Maritime journalist.  The Riving Reporter covers the years 1990 to 1997, when Sandra becomes a foreign correspondent at the London bureau of the Canadian Press.  She covers major stories in Britain, France, Italy, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong, Egypt, Mexico and South Africa, while being pursued by the mob  She is accompanied by Colin Purcell, a crusty English photographer.

I am currently working on The Return of the Reporter, the third and final novel of the series.  In The Return of the Reporter, Sandra returns to Canada and works as an investigative journalist at the Toronto Star.  The novel will focus on the time period leading up to the Millennium and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  It should be noted that all of the “Reporter” novels stand on their own.  However, it is advisable to read the complete series in sequence so that you will have a better understanding of the characters and circumstances.

- Joanne