Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the monster hitter of the Toronto Blue Jays (26), has properly awakened. He trimmed down sharply ahead of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Guerrero Jr. posted two photos on his social media on the 10th (all times Korea time). In the before-and-after photos, Guerrero Jr., showing his upper and lower body bare from front and back, looked noticeably more toned.
The photo from seven weeks earlier showed sagging belly fat and bulging fat at his sides. But in the recent photo, his belly and side fat had disappeared. In seven weeks he built a balanced physique through high-intensity training.
Guerrero Jr. has a proven track record with dieting. Guerrero Jr., who debuted in the major leagues in 2019, saw his growth stall in his second year in 2020. During the downtime caused by the COVID-19 pandemic he gained weight, and because his body had slowed he was judged unable to play third base defensively.
Amid controversy over being overweight and even being called a "lazy genius," Guerrero Jr. launched into a brutal diet after the season. He stayed in the United States rather than returning to his hometown in the Dominican Republic and devoted himself to personal training. He stopped late-night snacks and controlled his diet, succeeding in losing as much as 19kg.
The results appeared immediately in his performance. In 2021, over 161 games he hit .311 (188 hits in 604 at-bats) with 48 home runs and 111 RBIs, a .401 on-base percentage, a .601 slugging percentage and a 1.002 OPS, and his potential exploded. He overtook Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) to win the American League (AL) home run title and swept first place in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
Although he gave the MVP to Ohtani, who had his first full season as a two-way player, it was a year that showed Guerrero Jr.'s explosive power. After the season he gained weight again, but before the next season opened he lost 10kg in a month, showing his mastery of dieting.
After that, Guerrero Jr.'s performance dipped slightly for two years, but he rebounded in 2024 with a .323 batting average (199 hits in 616 at-bats) over 159 games, 30 home runs and 103 RBIs with a .940 OPS. He was expected to be the top free agent in his mid-20s, but last April he signed an ultra-long 14-year, $500 million extension with Toronto and took home a huge sum.
Last year he had a somewhat disappointing season, hitting .292 (172 hits in 589 at-bats) with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs over 156 games with an .848 OPS, but he starred in the postseason, hitting .397 (29 hits in 73 at-bats) with eight home runs and 15 RBIs over 18 games and won the championship series MVP. He narrowly missed winning the World Series in a seven-game battle with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it was a fall that showed Guerrero Jr.'s presence.
Ahead of the new season he has once again committed to a strict diet, raising expectations for another monster season. Since he will participate in next month's WBC as a member of the Dominican Republic national team, he has prepared his body earlier than usual. This is Guerrero Jr.'s first WBC. Born in Canada with dual nationality, he chose the Dominican Republic, his "father's country," to play in the WBC.
The Dominican Republic, a baseball powerhouse representing Latin America, won all eight games to claim the title at the third tournament in 2013. However, in 2017 they were eliminated in the second round, and in 2023 they suffered the humiliation of being knocked out in the first round.
Desperate to restore its honor in this tournament, the Dominican Republic built a roster of star players active in the major leagues, including Guerrero Jr.; Juan Soto (New York Mets); Manny Machado; Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres); Julio Rodríguez (Seattle Mariners); Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks); Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Ray); Luis Severino (Oakland Athletics); Sandy Alcantara (Miami Marlins); and Cristopher Sánchez (Philadelphia Phillies). They are a strong favorite to win.
Placed in pool D with Venezuela, the Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic is likely to advance from the first round. The top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals, and the first- and second-place teams from pool D will meet the second- and first-place teams from pool C, respectively. If Korea from pool C advances to the quarterfinals, there is a possibility of a single-elimination match against the Dominican Republic. Objectively, the Dominican Republic is likely to finish first in pool D, and Korea realistically is likely to be second in pool C behind Japan. With Guerrero Jr. having fiercely prepared his body, Korean baseball has no choice but to be on alert.
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