Blue Jays minor league third baseman Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. -- yep, the son of the former major leaguer by the same name -- is baseball’s No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, behind Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña.
Guerrero, who is only 19 years old, has been proving why he’s worthy of such a high ranking, entering Monday’s action batting .398/.455/.624 with three home runs, 30 RBI, and 20 runs scored in 113 plate appearances with Double-A New Hampshire. He kept it going on Monday, blasting a pair of no-doubt homers. Baseball America’s Ben Badler provided the video:
Wow. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. home run in his first at-bat tonight. pic.twitter.com/swzAYlaVYQ
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) May 7, 2018
Wow!! Vlad Jr. did it again. Second home run of the night, this one off the hotel! 💪🏨 https://t.co/XV4W7L4U70 pic.twitter.com/j5ImMhl8uq
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) May 8, 2018
MLB Pipeline expects Guerrero to reach the majors next year, but it shouldn’t be long before he earns a promotion to Triple-A. He signed with the Jays as an international free agent back in July 2015.
Guerrero isn’t the only son of a former major leaguer making waves. Padres minor league shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. is baseball’s No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Bo Bichette, playing shortstop at Double-A for the Jays, is the son of Dante Bichette, who spent most of his 14-year career with the Rockies. Bichette is ranked No. 13 in baseball among prospects. In other news, I feel old. I vividly remember Tatis, Sr. hitting two grand slams in one inning off of Chan Ho Park back in 1999.