Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a career-best defensive season

There's been plenty of noise around Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s significant drop in offensive numbers, and rightfully so. He's being paid $40 million this season to drive in runs — and he isn't doing that enough this season.

But on the defensive side of things, Guerrero just happens to be having the best season of his career.

If he continues playing at this level in the field, he's on track to win his second career Gold Glove Award at first base.

In 104 games at the position this season, Guerrero has posted some of the best defensive numbers of his career, including a career-high in assists at first base (72) since moving to the position at the start of the 2021 season.

According to Baseball Savant, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ranks second among American League first basemen when it comes to Outs Above Average this season. (MLB.com)

He has already surpassed his 2022 numbers that helped him win his first Gold Glove, and there's still more than 25 games left to improve them.

Guerrero also ranks second among American League first basemen in outs above average (OAA) and has saved five runs defensively. Former Blue Jay Ty France, who now plays for the San Diego Padres, leads the league with seven runs saved.

To put Guerrero's defensive improvement into perspective, his numbers are the second-best among all Blue Jays players, behind only three-time Gold Glove winner Andrés Giménez.

The 27-year-old has made a play on 219 balls this season, and 92 per cent of them have resulted in outs — the highest percentage of his eight-year career with Toronto.

The only American League first basemen with comparable defensive numbers are Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees, who has played 40 fewer games than Guerrero this season, and Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel, whose numbers are very similar to Guerrero's.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. salutes Blue Jays fans in the field during the 2025 World Series. (Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images)

Of course, offensive numbers are a lot flashier, especially when it comes to wins and losses. But Guerrero's continued improvement at first base shouldn't be ignored.

Fielding is the one thing he's doing right during a season where he has the same number of home runs at the Rogers Centre as the individual reading this article.