It has taken little to no time for the top MLB prospects to make their mark at the major-league level, all while we impatiently await one particular 19-year old’s debut.
A lot of baseball’s talented rookies have been headliners just one week into the season. Fernando Tatis Jr., Pete Alonso, Eloy Jimenez, and other MLB prospects have splashed onto the scene, but the MLB is still missing the No. 1 MLB Pipeline prospect: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The easy answer? He’s injured. He wouldn’t have made the roster if he was going to start on the Injured List.
However, had he not been injured, would he have made the opening day roster? Should he have?
In short, yes, and it is not hard to argue based on the paltry start by the Toronto Blue Jays offense.
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As a team, the Blue Jays are hitting just .190 (26th), with an OPS of .599 (23rd), and have scored only 24 runs (19th) in just their first eight games.
Their current third baseman Brandon Drury is not doing much to help. He has just six hits in 29 at-bats, 11 strikeouts and an OBP of .233. It begs the question, what if that was top Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at third base?
His power-hitting ability would be a great necessity after the recent trade of Kendrys Morales to the Oakland Athletics, and he would protect first baseman Justin Smoak in the middle of the lineup with Kevin Pillar having been traded as well.
Holding over top MLB prospects doesn’t just hurt the Toronto Blue Jays, but it also hurts fans of baseball as a whole.
Within the current collective bargaining agreement, a player becomes arbitration eligible if they have completed a minimum of three years of service time and do not have a contract lined up for the following season. With the service time of one year set at 172 days during a 187 day season.
What the Blue Jays organization, and several organizations in prior years, are doing is limiting the service time accrued by Guerrero Jr. by leaving him off the major league roster until it is within that 172-day period; thus allowing one additional year of control before his arbitration eligibility.
The other most notable player to suffer through this was Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant in 2015 before he eventually went on to win NL Rookie of the Year.
But this year has been different. The Padres started this year with two of their budding young stars in Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack. The Mets are filling an injury hole left by Todd Frazier with Alonso. The White Sox, needing a new outfielder and bat in their lineup, called upon Jimenez.
It is unfortunate, injury or no, that a team is more concerned with protecting their investment than putting all their chips in the pot to try and win as many games as possible. Not all organizations work the same.
In the meantime, one of the top MLB prospects, which so happens to belong to the Blue Jays, can only focus on getting himself healthy before he can answer any call to the major leagues. And even he will want to make his presence known when that phone rings.