DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. delivered one small moment on Sunday that offered a glimpse of the future. If this Spring Training is about opening eyes, he did just that again in a 5-2 win over the Yankees with a double off the wall in the bottom of the second inning.
Here’s what made it special: This was with a one-handed swing, one that was not his best. Yet it showed off the sweetness of his mechanics and the strength and quickness of his bat.
“What was I thinking?” Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo asked later. “If it was me, it would have been a bloop single or something to the catcher. That was amazing. So relaxed. I can never relate to that. That’s unbelievable and a good sign for us.”
At this point, it’s important to take a deep breath and remember that he’s 19 years old. He’s also MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 prospect and likely to make his Major League debut early in the 2019 season.
“I’m comfortable,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “I have to keep working. I have to work on everything. I’m going to keep doing that.”
His defense at third base remains a work in progress and he made an error on Sunday on a grounder that should have been routine.
“He’s going to get better,” Montoyo said. “He’s going to make routine plays. He’s in the big leagues and has got to make those plays. We’re not going to make a big deal about it. But he knows it.”
Shoemaker happy with latest spring outing
Blue Jays starter Matt Shoemaker allowed two earned runs and racked up five strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings in his second spring start. He allowed a Luke Voit home run in the second inning, and then struggled with his control in the third before departing after his 50th pitch.
For Shoemaker, who has endured a hellish couple of years with injuries, a normal Spring Training probably is the best thing he has going for him.
“It feels great,” he said. “You’re getting ready. You’re getting your work in. You’re getting your workload in, building up each inning. About half the pitches were really good [today]. Other than timing, I felt really good. Throughout spring, you work on getting mechanically sound.”
Quick hits
• Billy McKinney and Rowdy Tellez hit their first homers of the spring for the Blue Jays.
• Right-hander Sam Gaviglio threw 2 1/3 innings and extended his spring shutout streak to 6 1/3 innings over three appearances.
• Nine of the 58 players in camp for the Blue Jays are new to the organization. That includes six members of the 40-man roster.
Up next
The Blue Jays have a day off on Monday. They’ll be in Lakeland on Tuesday to play the Tigers with left-hander Ryan Borucki making his third start of the spring.