However, Bautista sees a slight difference.
“He’s a bit more relaxed than I am,” Bautista said. “He’s not as intense, but he has a lot of high energy that he gets from the emotions. He’s a little more calm, a little more poised, especially in the big moments.”
Bautista, like the rest of the baseball world, was a keen observer of the recent post-season, which showcased the full Guerrero Jr. experience. But unlike most others, Bautista has real insight into what the Blue Jays’ first baseman went through.
In 2015, Bautista was also a face-of-the-franchise leader of a spirited Blue Jays’ playoff run, with his infamous bat-flip standing as the ultimate display of raw emotion. He delivered under pressure, just like Guerrero Jr. did last October.
That’s an easy comparison to draw, of course. Yet, casting forward, it’s interesting to consider what happens after a star player lives through an epic post-season. Does the experience alter their personal expectations and change their perspective in any way?
Bautista learned the answers to those questions in 2016, just as Guerrero Jr. is doing this year.
“For me, it didn’t change much,” Bautista said during a recent visit to Rogers Centre. “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.”
Fair enough. And while Bautista hasn’t spoken to Guerrero Jr. about the subject, he doesn’t necessarily have to.
“When you are a player of that calibre who has executed and put up numbers at that level, you stop measuring success by the stats and the number of home runs,” said Bautista. “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.”
“For me, if the team wins, I’m fine with that,” Guerrero Jr. told Sportsnet recently. “I don’t care if I hit .190 or .390, if the team wins, I’m going to be fine.”
The 27-year-old said his life hasn’t changed much since the Blue Jays’ appearance in the Fall Classic. It’s not like he’s recognized more in public — ever since he cut his lengthy braids, people have trouble identifying Guerrero Jr.
“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.”
As for expectations, Guerrero Jr. maintains his goal has always been to capture a World Series title. Last year was a “good run,” he admits, but it doesn’t change much for him.
Guerrero Jr.’s issues this season have been well-documented. After launching eight home runs in 18 post-season contests, he has just three across 58 games this year and none at Rogers Centre. He’s barreling the ball at the lowest rate (7.2 per cent) of his career, while chasing more than ever (31 per cent).
He’s clearly been pressing in 2026 and that’s why his go-ahead double in Friday’s comeback win over the Baltimore Orioles was so important to him.
“It was not just that double,” Guerrero Jr. said. “It was that I could do something to help my team win the game.”
While the power isn’t there yet, Guerrero Jr. has been getting on base at an impressive clip of late. He collected four hits on Saturday and is batting .350/.462/.400 over his past 12 games.
“I’m a big believer that at the end of the year the numbers are going to be there for him,” said Bautista.
John Schneider told a funny story about infielder Charles McAdoo, who was called up from triple-A on Thursday.
“We were like, ‘Come sign your contract, we got a pen for you.’
“He said, ‘No, I have a pen.’
“‘We’re like, ‘We have one.’
“He’s like, ‘No, I have a pen.’”
McAdoo then pulled out a novelty Lightsaber pen and proceeded to ink the contract.
The 24-year-old infielder made his Major-League debut the next day and homered in his third at-bat. Coincidentally, it also happened to be Star Wars weekend at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
“Worked out well for Mac,” said Schneider.
McAdoo, who hails from Concord, Calif., and had his mother and high-school teammates in the crowd, lofted a fly ball from Trevor Rogers toward right field in the seventh inning.
“My heart dropped as soon as I hit it, because I was like, ‘It has a chance,’” said McAdoo, who was enjoying a strong season in Buffalo after altering his approach at the plate to try to become more selective with pitches he swings at.
His 369-foot drive just cleared the fence and was part of a pivotal four-run frame that set the Blue Jays up for an eventual 6-5 comeback over the Orioles.
Right-hander Braydon Fisher collected the save in that contest, the first of his major-league career. With Louis Varland, Jeff Hoffman and Tyler Rogers each pitching in two straight games heading into Friday, Fisher woke up in the morning thinking he might be used in a key leverage spot.
“I was doing the math in my own head,” Fisher said. “Everybody was down, and I thought I might be the one getting the save if there’s an opportunity.”
When the situation finally arrived, Fisher said he couldn’t get his heart rate down, yet that didn’t show on the mound. He retired his first two batters and wasn’t fazed 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.
“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,” said Fisher.
The 25-year-old right-hander has been impressive since his big-league debut last year, steadily earning more trust from Schneider. He’s already pitched 14 times in situations classified by Baseball Reference as “high leverage.” Last year, that number was 17 over the entire campaign.
“He’s always had that flatliner mentality, whether he’s opening, beginning, coming into traffic,” said Schneider. “That’s one of the many things I love about him. He’s not rattled by situations.”
Daulton Varsho looked impressive in centre field over the weekend and took a few strong routes to catches that were more in line with the Varsho of last year.
His defence this season hasn’t quite been up to his high standards. Varsho’s outs above average sits in the 77th percentile, down from the 95th last year.
“We’ve been talking to Varsho and he’s been frustrated because he expects so much of himself defensively,” said Schneider. “And there’s been some plays that he usually makes and should make and hasn’t.”
Varsho recently altered his pre-pitch setup, angling both of his feet outward in what Schneider likened to “duck feet,” to help him get to balls hit directly over his head.
“It’s cool that he’s always changing, always looking for ways to get a little bit better,” said Schneider.