Considering that Major League Baseball players play a whopping 162 games per season and are on the road for half of them, you would think that they might not have all that much time to actually explore the cities they live in.
But considering that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has called Toronto home since 2019 and signed a massive 14-year contract extension earlier this year, the slugger surely must love the city and its many local flavours.
In fact, the all-star first baseman shared some of his top spots in Toronto during the team’s day off on Thursday, showcasing some favourites around the 6ix.
“Toronto is a city that I consider to be my second home. The energy, you feel it everywhere, that’s what I like about being here in Toronto,” he said in the clip.
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Guerrero, who was born in Montreal while his father, Hall of Famer Vlad Guerrero Sr,. was a member of the Expos, showed just how Canadian he is by sharing his love for poutine.
“To me, this is perfect,” he said while scarfing down some of the late-night delicacy at Poutine Hub (which has locations at 181 Parliament St. and 268 Augusta Ave. in Kensington Market).
Guerrero shared that his favourite dish is a staple from the Dominican Republic.
“If I had one meal left, I would eat frito con salami,” said Guerrero, describing a combination of fried plantain and Dominican salami. “I can make that and I don’t know how to cook.”
In comments for the video, baseball Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez seemed to second the love for the dish, posting “Frito con salami!” with laughing and peace emojis.
Vladdy also shouted out Prime Seafood Palace (944 Queen St. W), Jacobs & Co Steakhouse (81 Bay St.), the El Camion la Fritanga food truck and 1 Hotel at 550 Wellington St. W.
When it comes to shopping during his downtime, Guerrero said he likes to hit Play de Record (411 Spadina Ave.) for music, A&C Games (452 Spadina Ave.) for video games and Kenshi (99 Yorkville Ave.) for sneakers.
In the clip, Vladdy shares that he has quite the sneaker collection. When asked how many he pairs of footwear he has, the five-time all-star said, “200 to 300, easy.”
After a mediocre start to the season by his lofty standards, Guerrero has picked up his game since the All-Star break. On This year, he has hit .295 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs as the Jays sit in first place in the AL East.
After Thursday’s day off, the team is back in action on Friday night with the Kansas City Royals in town to kick off a three-game series.