Toronto Blue Jays: Vlad Jr. Launches 1st and 2nd Career Home Runs
One of the most anticipated moments of the 2019 MLB season has finally arrived. Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vlad Jr. has blasted his first career long ball. The first of what everyone anticipates to be many.
The arrival of Toronto Blue Jays rookie Vlad Jr. onto the scene has been to the tune of some of the most voracious fanfare since the debuts of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper for the Nationals in 2010 and 2012 respectively. Vlad’s first two and a half weeks featured close calls, however, he failed to display his potential right off of the bat.
On Tuesday night May 14 in Oracle Park, San Fransisco he was able to prove doubters wrong and excite the vast audience, who had been clamoring for his promotion to the major leagues. Following an unfortunate spring training injury, Vlad was forced to start the season with the Buffalo Bisons- the AAA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. After he completed his service time requirement- for the Blue Jays to gain an extra year of arbitrational control over him- he was able to make his debut.
It has been somewhat of a struggle, as he entered the game on Tuesday night with an average of .191, a single RBI, and .283 on-base percentage. It is clear from watching the blossoming star third baseman that he is a far more selective batter than his father, as he often works the count in anticipation of a pitch to his liking.
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His early season numbers in many ways reflect his already widespread fame. Pitchers have begun working him carefully on reputation alone and he has been unable to take the league by storm, such as Pete Alonso or Fernando Tatis Jr. have.
His first plate appearance on the night saw him work the count full and finally, the 90-mph 3-2 delivery by Nick Vicent was promptly parked into the netting beyond the green padded wall of dead center in the park formerly known as AT&T. The Vincent offering was about thigh-high on the outer half of the plate and the easy power of Vlad Jr. did all of the work.
He did not overextend himself and was able to easily turn on a pitch that most batters would not be able to drive because they simply do not possess that kind of strength. He had finally gotten his first tally taken care of and the pressure was off.
In the ensuing at-bats, he ripped a sharp ground ball to the left fielder for a single in the second inning and worked out a walk in the fourth inning. When he came to the plate in the top of the sixth frame he faced off against right-hander Reyes Moronta. The first offered was right into his wheelhouse and Guerrero Jr. absolutely unloaded on the ball, blistering it well into the bleachers in left-center field.
It is quite evident that once he connected for his first long ball, he became locked in and would not be stopped for the remainder of the game. It is quite possible that this will spark a hot streak in which he will demonstrate his ability and captivate the league.
The first bomb was 438 feet in distance with a blistering exit velocity of 113.1 mph and a launch angle of 23 degrees. The second landed two feet farther for a distance of 440 feet even and an exit velocity of 107 mph.
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A night like this makes one understand exactly why MLB fans have been hearing the hype around Toronto Blue Jays rookie Vlad Jr. for many years. He can display an inestimable degree of power and is refined enough to use it properly. Now it is just a matter of performing like this on a consistent basis.