RBI machine Vlad Guerrero Jr. makes Blue Jays history

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There has never been any doubt about the prowess at the plate of the Blue Jays hitting machine that is Vlad Guerrero Jr.

His home runs are prodigious and his hard-hit balls are bountiful. But it is Guerrero’s ability to drive in runs that have given him his latest appearance in the Jays history books.

With an RBI single in the seventh inning of Saturday’s 7-2 Jays win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Guerrero reached 500 in that stat category and became the youngest Toronto player to do so.

“He’s got special talent,” said Jays pitcher Jose Berrios, who admires his teammate’s ability at the plate. “It’s his mindset. He always thinks positive, like he’s going to get a hit from any pitcher. He’s a smart guy and a smart hitter. The ability God gave him is special.”

Guerrero reached the 500 plateau as a 25-year-old, more than two full years younger than the previous Jays player to hit that standard, Lloyd Mosby, did so. As well, the Montreal native became just the 12th player in franchise history to record 500 RBI in Toronto, doing so in 806 games.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider concurs with the Berrios assessment of his big-time hitter, and his ability to go beyond just thumping home runs.

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“He’s special, man,” Schneider said. “This year again he’s separating himself to a bit of a different level offensively. He understands how to hit, how to drive in runs, kind of a lost art. You could see it coming when he was young, but to see him do do what he’s doing now, it speaks to his maturity as a player and as a hitter. I’m really happy for him.

“The way the industry viewed RBIs has changed a little bit — it used to be average and homers and RBIs (mattered more). But you see some guys that have a ton of homers — 30 homers, 60 RBIs — it shows you some holes. I think guys who consistently drive in runs, they’re rally good hitters and I think Vladdy fits in that category.”