Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. named to the All-MLB First Team

It was a terrific season for the 25-year-old, as he slashed .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs in 697 plate appearances. For the fourth consecutive season, Guerrero Jr. led the team in home runs. In terms of wRC+, his 165 wRC+ ranked sixth in the league behind Bobby Witt Jr. Yordan Álvarez, Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge.

However, it didn’t look as if his 2024 season would be anything special after the first month. From the start of the season until April 30, he slashed .229/.331/.347 with three home runs in 136 plate appearances for a 100 wRC+. 

It wasn’t until May 1 that he started to dominate, finishing the season slashing .345/.412/.590 with 27 home runs in 561 plate appearances for a 181 wRC+. His fWAR of 5.5 ranked 11th among position players, and that with not-so-great defence at first base.

This isn’t Guerrero Jr.’s first All-MLB First Team appearance either. In 2021, Guerrero Jr. slashed .311/.401/.601 with 48 home runs in 698 plate appearances for a 166 wRC+ and a 6.3 fWAR. Like the 2024 season, he won the first base Silver Slugger Award, and even finished second in American League MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani.

As you likely know, the 2025 season will be Guerrero Jr.’s final under team control. He’s set to make $29.6 million in his final season of arbitration according to MLB Trade Rumors. Without question, the Blue Jays’ biggest priority this off-season is re-signing Guerrero Jr. to a long-term deal, with their second largest priority being overhauling their bullpen.

Ideally, the Blue Jays re-sign Guerrero Jr. as soon as possible, and maybe even bring in his friend, Juan Soto. That may be wishful thinking, but the Blue Jays have to do something big this off-season.

me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.