Blue Jays GM: Guerrero 'on track' to play 3B in 2021
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s impressive offseason has caught Ross Atkins' attention.
The Toronto Blue Jays general manager believes Guerrero is "on track to reach" his goal of playing third base in 2021, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.
Guerrero, who manned the hot corner during his 2019 rookie campaign before switching to first in 2020, will play third while participating in winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
The 21-year-old has worked on his fitness throughout the offseason, which has resulted in a much lighter version of Guerrero compared to his second year in the majors.
But it's Guerrero's fundamental skills that have Atkins feeling confident about his ability to return to third.
"If you have the hands and you have the footwork and you have the confidence, not only in your arm strength but your arm accuracy, then you can slow things down," Atkins said. "Many infield experts actually think it starts with the arm, the strength, and the accuracy.
"Vladdy has one of the stronger arms in the game. His arm strength is elite. It's not too dissimilar to his bat speed."
Guerrero registered the worst defensive rating among MLB third basemen in 2019, according to FanGraphs.