Toronto Blue Jays infielder Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. comes with a big pedigree but even bigger talent of his own.
Player Profile
The Toronto Blue Jays signed the namesake of one of the most popular Canadian players of recent memory to a $3.9 million bonus the summer of 2015 out of the Dominican Republic.
Originally born in Montreal while his father Vladimir Guerrero was one of the best players in the game for the Montreal Expos, Guerrero grew up in the Dominican Republic and was able to be signed in the regular international market.
Guerrero had skeptics due to his advanced size upon signing as he is built more stout than his father, who was built more long and athletic, whereas Junior has a more high-waist, thick-legged build.
The Blue Jays were impressed enough with Guerrero to send him directly to their advanced rookie Appalachian League team in Bluefield, an incredibly aggressive initial assignment for the average international signee.
He showed well for Bluefield, hitting .271/.359/.449 with 12 doubles, eight home runs, 15 stolen bases, 11.96 percent walk rate, and a 12.68 percent strikeout rate. He played third base the entire season, showing solid enough range, but some understandable raw-ness at the position.
His tremendous performance got him notice in top 100 lists in the offseason, ranking him #20 by Baseball America, #34 by MLB Pipeline, and #11 in the Call to the Pen Top 125 prospect list in January.
The Blue Jays assigned Guerrero to low-A Lansing in the full-season Midwest League at barely 18 years old, and so far he has absolutely torn up the level, hitting .343/.459/.556 with nine doubles, four home runs, and three stolen bases, posting a 15.57 percent walk rate and 12.3 percent strikeout rate.
Next: Guerrero's scouting report