Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s hot streak is full of encouraging signs for Blue Jays

For most of the season the Toronto Blue Jays haven't got what they expected from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but he's done a great deal to change the narrative lately.

While a couple of series aren't enough to completely override months of so-so production, he's been hot enough in recent days to move the needle on his season-long numbers.

On June 22 his wRC+ sat at 115. Following a strong performance on Thursday night it's up to 126, spitting distance from his 2022 mark of 132.

That's what six days of slugging over .900 will do for you. This power surge is unlike anything Guerrero has done all season.

It's easy to dismiss anything that happens in a six-game sample, but it's also hard not to be impressed with the way Guerrero is hammering the ball.

His three home runs during this stretch averaged a projected distance of 428 feet, highlighted by his 437-foot shot on Saturday.

For a little context, his first nine home runs of the season averaged 406.67 feet. Not only did Vladdy give these balls a ride, he did it with some impressive exit velocities and almost perfect launch angles.

All three of the round-trippers were hit at 110-plus mph with a launch angle above 20 degrees. In the first 73 games of the season, Guerrero hit just two balls that matched that criteria.

The three home runs averaged 111.1 mph and 27 degrees — a dominant profile that has resulted in a jog around the bases for every hitter that's managed it this season.

Not only is the ball coming off Guerrero's bat in an impressive way lately, there's evidence to suggest he's seeing it better, too.

One of the biggest differences between his production in the last year and a half and his incredible 2021 is an increasing chase rate, and Guerrero has swung at balls outside the zone as infrequently as he has all season in the last two series.

On a fundamental level, what makes Guerrero special is the way he hits the cover off the ball while maintaining a solid level of control over the strike zone. He takes huge cuts that have all the potential reward of the best power hitters' swings without racking up the kind of strikeout rates that plague many of MLB's sluggers.

In the last few days we've seen a glimpse of what he looks like at his best. It is not enough to be confident that he's about to go on a tear, but his power has been far more prominent in his last six outings than it's been at any other time this season. That seems likely to be meaningful.

From Guerrero's impressive track record to the gap between his expected stats and real numbers, it's been probable that he'd experience an upturn for quite some time. Now it looks like it's finally happening.