DETROIT -- John Schneider likes to say that the Blue Jays don’t need Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to be Superman; they just need him to be himself.
Well, Clark Kent just ducked into a phone booth.
More powerful than a locomotive and able to clear tall walls with a single swing, Vladdy will always be the Blue Jays hitter capable of things others simply aren’t. The wait this season has been long, with Guerrero only teasing us with glimpses of that bright red cape tucked under his blue and white jerseys, but it feels like we’re about to see Superman again.
Guerrero’s performance in Friday’s 6-2 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park was his fourth consecutive multihit game, and while he’s still searching for the prodigious home run power we all know is in there, the right signs are showing.
It’s all happening at the right time, too. At 62-42, the Blue Jays have the best record in the Major Leagues. It’s the first time they’ve owned the throne this late in the season since their World Series-winning campaign in 1992.
“We’ve been talking about him getting on a heater, and I think he’s close,” Schneider said. “I love the quality of his at-bats. Tonight, he just did his part within the lineup.”
Superman never wants to draw attention to himself, though.
“If the team is winning, I’m hot,” Guerrero said through a club interpreter, seven words that capture exactly how he approaches the game. “Regardless of if I’m hot or not, if we’re winning games, I consider myself hot.”
Vladdy’s first double looked like he saw the ball in slow motion, calmly planting his left foot before extending his arms and lofting a ball to the base of the wall in left-center. It was so calm and controlled. All Guerrero needs to do is make contact in the right spot, then the gifts you cannot teach will take care of the rest.
Later, Guerrero came up with runners on the corners and did something we’ve rarely seen in 2025 -- he swung at the first pitch. Guerrero has done that just 23.3% of the time this season, a career low and nearly half the rate of what he did in his near-MVP season in ‘21 (43.2%). Sure, some benefits are showing in his career-high walk rate (13.5%), but the Blue Jays didn’t hand Guerrero a $500 million contract just to take his base. They gave him that deal to take some long, slow trots around the bases.
There’s a thread between Guerrero’s greatest moments. When he’s at his best, whether that was as a breathtaking prospect mowing through the Minor Leagues or as baseball’s best hitter in 2021, Guerrero is the rare hitter who is in full control of the at-bat. At times, he’s made pitchers look like supporting actors, just reading their lines and awaiting their fate. The patience he’s shown in '25 has its benefits -- and guided him towards a season that’s “good” across the board -- but Guerrero’s greatness is unlocked when he’s sitting in the driver’s seat of his at-bats.
It doesn’t need to be every night, but it needs to be in there. Vladdy is a complete hitter, and “complete” means everything.
“Any year, you can look up and Vlad can hit 50 homers or he can hit 20. It’s what we need from him every night,” Schneider said. “There’s going to be a time where he’s hitting homers in bunches, and that’s great. Comparing it to other seasons, it’s kind of tough for me because I’ve seen him for so long, and what he’s doing right now doesn’t look wrong.”
No one wants to say it out loud, but what the Blue Jays are doing right now is a big deal.
Schneider said he’d allow himself to enjoy the best record in baseball until midnight. Then, it’s onto Saturday's game. Guerrero didn’t sound like he was even going to wait until the clock struck 12. With Vladdy, it’s always tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
“We’ll just keep playing,” Guerrero said. “Day by day, day by day. Tonight’s game is over. We’ll get ready for tomorrow and we’ll try to win a game. That’s what I’m thinking about.”
That sounds like Clark Kent speaking: not trying to draw much attention to the incredible things he and his team are capable of. There’s no more hiding it, though, and if that red cape comes out, the rest of the baseball could be stuck looking up at the Blue Jays.