Jose Bautista says Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a calmer edge in big moments, even as the Blue Jays first baseman chases a rebound season after power troubles. The notebook also details Charles McAdoo’s debut and homer, Braydon Fisher’s first career save in Frida
Jose Bautista doesn’t confuse intensity with control.
Speaking during a recent visit to Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays franchise icon described Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as a touch different from the fire that once drove Bautista himself. Bautista said Guerrero Jr. “is a bit more relaxed than I am. ” adding that he “has a lot of high energy that he gets from the emotions. ” but shows “a little more calm. a little more poised. especially in the big moments.”.
That contrast matters because Bautista knows what it feels like to carry a playoff run on emotion. In 2015. Bautista was the face of the franchise during a spirited Blue Jays postseason. capped by his infamous bat-flip—an unforgettable burst of raw feeling. He drew the line to Guerrero Jr. by pointing to how the younger star delivered under pressure last October.
The question, though, is what happens after the postseason fire burns out. Does surviving something epic change a player’s expectations?
Bautista said for him, the answer was simple: “For me, it didn’t change much. I already knew what I was able to accomplish once I’m healthy, once I’m showing up every day and putting in the work and getting that consistency we all seek on a day-to-day basis.”
He frames success less like a scoreboard and more like daily impact. “You stop measuring success by the stats and the number of home runs,” Bautista said. “You start measuring success in your own mind on how you impact the victory from a day-to-day basis and helping your team get to the playoffs and play important games down the stretch and in October.”.
Guerrero Jr., for his part, has matched that mindset publicly in plain terms. He told Sportsnet recently, “For me, if the team wins, I’m fine with that. I don’t care if I hit .190 or .390, if the team wins, I’m going to be fine.”
His public profile might even feel stuck in neutral. At 27 years old, Guerrero Jr. said his life “hasn’t changed much” since the Blue Jays’ appearance in the Fall Classic. Recognition, he noted, is harder ever since he cut his lengthy braids—people apparently struggle to identify him without them. “They don’t pay attention to me because I don’t got my hair,” he said with a grin. “They have to say, ‘Oh that’s him?’ But when I had my hair, yeah, they knew.”.
And even with the season unfolding in difficult fashion, Guerrero Jr. maintains the same ultimate goal he’s always carried: a World Series title. Last year was a “good run,” he admitted, but it doesn’t shift his focus.
This year’s numbers, however, show why patience is being tested. After launching eight home runs in 18 post-season contests, Guerrero Jr. has just three homers across 58 games in 2026, with none at Rogers Centre. His ball-strike rate story has also tilted: he’s barreling the ball at the lowest rate (7.2 per cent) of his career. while chasing more than ever (31 per cent). The issues have been well-documented, and Guerrero Jr. has been pressing.
That’s why Friday’s comeback win over the Baltimore Orioles carried extra weight. The go-ahead moment came through a double that helped swing the game, and Guerrero Jr. made clear it wasn’t only about the hit itself. “It was not just that double,” he said. “It was that I could do something to help my team win the game.”.
Power hasn’t returned in full yet, but he has been getting on base at a strong clip lately. He collected four hits on Saturday and is batting .350/.462/.400 over his past 12 games.
Bautista believes the missing piece is temporary. “I’m a big believer that at the end of the year the numbers are going to be there for him,” Bautista said.
The Blue Jays’ week carried other moments of adjustment and momentum. John Schneider shared a story about infielder Charles McAdoo, who was called up from triple-A on Thursday. Schneider said the team told McAdoo. “Come sign your contract. we got a pen for you.” McAdoo answered. “No. I have a pen.” When Schneider said the organization had one. McAdoo told them again. “No. I have a pen. ” before producing a novelty Lightsaber pen and signing the contract.
McAdoo made his Major-League debut the next day and homered in his third at-bat. It also landed during Star Wars weekend at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Schneider added, “Worked out well for Mac.” McAdoo, 24 and from Concord, Calif., had his mother and high-school teammates in the crowd. He lofted a fly ball from Trevor Rogers toward right field in the seventh inning.
McAdoo said: “My heart dropped as soon as I hit it, because I was like, ‘It has a chance.’” His 369-foot drive cleared the fence and was part of a pivotal four-run frame that set the Blue Jays up for their eventual 6-5 comeback over the Orioles.
On the other side of that comeback, right-hander Braydon Fisher collected the save. It was his first save in a major-league career.
Fisher said he woke up in Friday morning thinking he might be needed in a high-leverage spot. “Everybody was down, and I thought I might be the one getting the save if there’s an opportunity,” Fisher said. With Louis Varland. Jeff Hoffman and Tyler Rogers each pitching in two straight games heading into Friday. that thought carried weight.
When the leverage arrived, Fisher described the internal moment even if the pitching looked controlled from the outside. He said he couldn’t get his heart rate down, yet it didn’t show on the mound. He retired his first two batters, then faced a scare when second baseman Ernie Clement booted the potential third out. Fisher responded by going up 0-2 on Adley Rutschman before getting the O’s designated hitter to ground out to Clement to end the game.
Winning and finishing in the ninth meant something different to him afterward. “Just having the experience of being in the ninth inning and winning the game and getting the save is great because the next one and the ones after that will feel a little bit easier and more normal,” Fisher said.
Trust has been building steadily since his big-league debut last year. Schneider said Fisher has already pitched 14 times in situations classified by Baseball Reference as “high leverage. ” compared to 17 in that category over the entire campaign last year. Schneider credited Fisher’s composure with a simple description: “He’s always had that flatliner mentality. whether he’s opening. beginning. coming into traffic. That’s one of the many things I love about him. He’s not rattled by situations.”.
Defence is also in focus as the Blue Jays continue to search for the right balance. Daulton Varsho took strong routes to catches over the weekend in a reminder of what he looked like last year. Still, his defence this season hasn’t matched his own high standards. His outs above average sits in the 77th percentile, down from the 95th last year.
Schneider said he and the team have been talking to Varsho, who has been frustrated because he expects so much from himself defensively. Schneider pointed to plays Varsho “usually makes and should make and hasn’t.”
Recently. Varsho changed his pre-pitch setup by angling both of his feet outward—what Schneider likened to “duck feet”—to help him get to balls hit directly over his head. Schneider praised the mindset behind the tweak: “It’s cool that he’s always changing. always looking for ways to get a little bit better.”.
The common thread through all of it—from Bautista’s view of Guerrero Jr.’s steadier emotional tempo to the way Fisher and McAdoo have been thrust into pressure spots—is how the Blue Jays keep responding when the moment demands more than just talent.
Blue Jays Jose Bautista Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Charles McAdoo Braydon Fisher Daulton Varsho Baltimore Orioles Rogers Centre MLB Star Wars weekend