The Votto Blueprint: Why Vladdy Must Return to His Roots to Solve the 2026 Slump
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Former NL MVP Joey Votto offers a simple mechanical fix for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but the real battle is in the mind.
For Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a star who spent the 2026 season struggling to recapture his early dominance, the answer may lie in the family archives, as first reported by Sportsnet.
Speaking on a segment with Blair and Barker, former NL MVP Joey Votto weighed in on the struggles facing the Blue Jays slugger. Votto's prescription for Guerrero Jr. to fix his plate approach and regain his former success is straightforward: "Watch your dad."
**OPINION:** Votto is spot on. The danger for a young player in a slump is the tendency to over-analyze. By looking back at the approach of his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Vladdy can return to a philosophy of hitting based on natural talent rather than over-engineered mechanics. For the Blue Jays to get their best hitter back to form, the goal shouldn't be to reinvent the wheel, but to trust the instincts ingrained in him by a legendary father.