Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Talks 'MLB The Show 24' and Blue Jays' Season in B/R Interview

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has never known the world without MLB The Show, so it's only fitting the Toronto Blue Jays slugger would get the chance to be on the cover for the new game.

The three-time All-Star was chosen as the cover athlete for MLB The Show 24, which released on Tuesday for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.

It was a historic moment for the Guerrero family because his father, Vladimir Guerrero, was on the cover of MLB 2006 coming off his MVP season with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Guerreros are the first father-son duo to be cover athletes for MLB's flagship video-game series.

"It means a lot to me," Guerrero Jr. told B/R via Blue Jays' translator Hector "Tito" LeBron about being able to follow in his father's footsteps as a cover-athlete. "Since I was a kid, I always wanted to be like my father, to do the things that he did, to accomplish the things that he accomplished."

Looking ahead to the start of the 2024 MLB season, Guerrero knows the Blue Jays have a tall test awaiting them as they look to get back to the playoffs.

"The American League East, everyone knows, is one of the strongest divisions in the big leagues," he said. "You still gotta go to the field, and play to win. The games are won on the field. You respect the big names, but you still gotta go out there and compete and try to win the game. Everybody makes a move. We made good moves too. We'll see what happens when everybody takes the field.

Some of the moves made involving AL East clubs included the Baltimore Orioles trading for 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes and the New York Yankees acquiring three-time All-Star Juan Soto.

Those deals only strengthen a division that had four winning teams last season and no team win fewer than 78 games. The Blue Jays had a relatively quiet winter by comparison, though they were able to add Justin Turner as their new designated hitter. They also signed Joey Votto as a non-roster invitee to see if he can provide some pop to the lineup if he makes the club out of spring training.

The Blue Jays remain a strong postseason contender going into the season with a deep roster, led by Guerrero. One thing that has eluded him so far in his career is playoff success.

Despite making the playoffs three times in the past four years, the Blue Jays have failed to record a win in six games. Their last postseason victory was in Game 3 of the 2016 ALCS against Cleveland, which was also Guerrero's first full year in professional baseball.

"I always tell my family, tell my teammates, tell everyone that the key for the next step is to win a game," Guerrero said when asked about what's been missing for Toronto in the playoffs. "Once we win a game, that first one, the pressure will be off and we'll be able to go on a good run."

Toronto hasn't been the only team that has endured recent playoff heartbreak. In the aftermath of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, who have won at least 100 games in each of the past two seasons, lost in the Division Series both times.

Because powerhouse regular-season teams like the Braves and Dodgers are losing early in the playoffs, it has to some arguments that the 10-team format is unfair.

As a player who experience the highs and lows inherent in playing a full season, Guerrero understands sometimes things happen in the postseason that can lead to a quick exit because there's very little time to make adjustments in a short series compared to a regular-season schedule.

"The regular season is 162 games. You have time to bounce back from a poor start, losing streak or if you don't play well or start cold. In a playoff series, you don't have that. So, either you start hot or you start hot," he joked.

Another victory that has been eluding Guerrero, though perhaps not as important as one in October, is against his father when they play video games head-to-head. The 25-year-old has said his father "always beat me" when they used to square off.

Due to the timing of MLB The Show 24's release and how deep the Blue Jays are into spring training, the Guerreros haven't had a chance to sit down and play each other to see who the better gamer is now.

But the showdown is coming.

"I guarantee you as soon as I get to the Dominican, we're gonna sit down and we're gonna play," Guerrero said.

Considering the accolades Guerrero has been racking up since entering MLB in 2019, including a Home Run Derby title, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards, it's safe to assume the younger Guerrero will be ready to take on the challenge from his father.