Instead of being honest and making a decision based on service time, the Toronto Blue Jays are coming up with excuses to keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr in the minors.
At this point, it seems reasonable to think that Vladimir Guerrero Jr is ready to play for the Toronto Blue Jays. There is hardly anything above him on the depth chart, with Chris Drury penciled in as the starting third baseman. The consensus top prospect in the game annihilated minor league pitching as a 19 year old last year, showing that he has nothing to prove at the minor league level any longer.
However, there are those constant concerns when it comes to service time. That desire to keep top prospects like Guerrero under team control for an extra year will lead to teams looking for reasons to keep those players in the minors. The Blue Jays are no different, and already seem like they are getting their story lined up for why Guerrero will begin the season in AAA.
#BlueJays GM Ross Atkins on Vladimir Guerrero Jr:
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 14, 2019
“There’s no firm timeline on when he arrives or when he is playing in Toronto for the first time, but we want to make sure he’s the best possible third baseman and the best possible hitter he can be.”
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While there have been concerns about Guerrero’s defense at third, his offense more than makes up for any deficiencies at the position. Over his 408 plate appearances last season, primarily at AA and AAA, he produced an incredible .381/.437/.636 batting line, hitting 20 homers and 29 doubles. He also displayed an excellent batting eye and incredible contact skills, drawing 37 walks while striking out just 38 times.
That incredible production continued in the Arizona Fall League. Although he did not homer in his 88 plate appearances, he produced a .351/.409/.442 batting line, hitting seven doubles while drawing eight walks and striking out only six times.
At this point, Guerrero likely would be the best hitter on the Blue Jays Opening Day roster. As Toronto is giving lip service to contending in the AL East, it would make sense that they would want to have their best players in every possible game, especially as they attempt to defy the odds and remain in contention. Guerrero, before taking a single major league at bat, is one of those players.
Instead of allowing him to be at the major league level at the start of the year, the Blue Jays will find some reason to keep him in AAA. Guerrero will bide his time in Buffalo, “working on” some aspect of his game until that moment his arbitration clock would be pushed back. Then, lo and behold, he will be ready for the majors, whatever issue suddenly and miraculously resolved in perfect time for the Blue Jays to gain an extra year of control.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr has nothing left to prove in the minors, and is ready for the majors now. Instead, the Toronto Blue Jays are getting ready to find an excuse to send him to Buffalo for a few weeks instead of making Guerrero part of the Opening Day roster.