Vladdy Jr. to Make MLB Debut Tomorrow
Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
It’s finally here. Cue the Michael Scott “It’s happening!” GIF. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the best and most highly anticipated prospect in baseball, will make his MLB debut tomorrow night for the Toronto Blue Jays when they take on the Oakland Athletics in Toronto. This is a moment that baseball fans such as myself have been waiting for, for quite a while. I wrote a prospect preview article on Guerrero a month ago, but let’s revisit why the 20-year old is the best prospect in the game.
Let’s start with the pedigree. Vlad Jr. is the son of Hall of Famer and former MVP Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero Sr. finished his career with a .318 batting average, 2,590 hits, 449 home runs, and 1,496 RBIs. The younger Guerrero has all the tools to be just as good as his father, and potentially even better. I realize he has a LONG way to go, but he definitely has the makeup of a perennial all-star.
While there’s nothing special about Vlad Jr.’s defensive ability, it’s his offensive ability that has everyone buzzing. He’s the first prospect to EVER receive a perfect 80/80 grade for hitting. He consistently makes hard contact and barrels up balls to all parts of the field with ease. Thus, he has the potential to hit for a very high average in the majors, but that doesn’t take away from his power. In that category he grades out at a very impressive 70/80. Just last week, he hit a ball completely out of the park in a Triple-A game in Pawtucket. Throughout his minor league career, he’s posted a .331 average and a .945 OPS. He’s hit 44 home runs and collected 209 RBI as well, and all of this is just from 288 games. He’s shown the ability to not only hit at every level, but seemingly get better at every level. From the moment he steps foot in the batter’s box for the first time tomorrow, he will be must-watch tv every time he is at the plate.
Talent-wise, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. should have already been in the majors. He’s proved that he has nothing left to accomplish in the minors for some time now, but because the extra-year of control the Blue Jays would have over his contract if they held him out for a few weeks to start the season, it was very likely he wouldn’t have began the year in the big leagues. He ended up straining his oblique at the beginning of season which sidelined him anyway, which made the decision to hold him back or not an easy one. But he has returned from that minor setback to play 12 games for Triple-A Buffalo and hit .333 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
So baseball fans, put a reminder in your phone for tomorrow night at 7:07 p.m. ET because that’s when Guerrero’s debut game will start. He is set to face righty Mike Fiers for the A’s, who is 2-2 with an 8.28 ERA so far this season. Like I said before, this is the most highly anticipated debut from a prospect we’ve had in a long time. Some scouts say he’s the best prospect they’ve ever seen in their lifetime, and others say he’s the best prospect since Alex Rodriguez. While I normally don’t like to prematurely get too confident in prospects, I have a different feeling for Vladdy Jr. after keeping tabs on his career for a while now. He just seems different. How good will he end up being after all the hype? That question will begin to get answered tomorrow night. I can’t wait.
Garett