His general manager, Ross Atkins, says Vlad Guerrero Jr. “will be a force for us in the playoffs.”

His manager, John Schneider, says Guerrero is “ready to step up.”

So what does the 27-year-old face of the franchise, who alternately has delighted the team’s fan base and kept them wanting, think about the biggest and undeniably most important challenge of his still-burgeoning career?

“I say I want to be a (Joe) Carter, a winner,” Guerrero said on Wednesday when asked where he’d like to fit in the pantheon of big homers that Jays of the past have unleashed, featuring players like Carter, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.

“A home run. A double (it doesn’t matter). Especially if we win (the World Series). My dad never won one and I always told my dad if we win, won I might give him

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