The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when we’re talking about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. His father, future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, hit 449 home runs over the course of his career, and Vlad Jr. looks like he has even more power than his dad did! Vlad Jr. has been tearing up the minor leagues all year long and is currently ranked as the number three prospect in all of baseball. Vlad Jr. is currently hitting .404 with three home runs and 30 RBI’s in just 25 games!
With fellow top prospects like Victor Robles, Ronald Acuña, and Gleybar Torres getting the call to the show, what’s stopping the Blue Jays from giving Vlad Jr. the same call? Who cares if he’s only 19 years old, if you’re ready for the MLB, you deserve to play. Look at Red Sox stars Rafael Devers, who got called up at just 20, and Andrew Benintendi who didn’t even spend a full year in the minor leagues. You be the judge, check out some of his highlights from Spring Training and in AA ball this season, and make your own decision if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is ready to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Watch this and tell me that isn’t elite MLB power! Guerrero has hit 24 home runs and driven in 152 runs during his time in the minor leagues, which is only 205 games. He has a .316 career batting average in the minors, and don’t forget his granted, limited, Spring Training sample size where he hit .538 with a home run and two RBI’s.
He makes hitting off a tee look good too. He has a smooth swing and shows good discipline at the plate too (unlike his dad who swung at anything from his head to his toes) with 121 walks in his minor league career compared to just 109 strikeouts.
With elite power, and the ability to hit for average as well, and since the Blue Jays haven’t had Josh Donaldson for a good portion of this year, they should consider calling up Vlad Jr. Even if it is for a limited time, or if they just have him as the designated hitter, this guy has proven that he has what it takes to fit in at the MLB level, and gives the Blue Jays a star of the future to market.