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Blue Jays top-30 prospects #2: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

By Buckley Smith

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With scouts raving his power potential, watch out for Vladimir Guerrero Jr to make his mark in his debut professional season.

Hon. Mentions Part 1    Hon. Mentions Part 2    #30: Freddy Rodriguez
#29: Evan Smith    #28: Deiferson Barreto    #27: Chad Girodo
#26: Roemon Fields    #25:  Rodrigo Orozco    #24:  Reggie Pruitt    #23: Joe Biagini
#22:  Carl Wise    #21: Tom Robson   #20: Matt Dean    #19: Andy Burns
#18: Guadalupe Chavez   #17: Ryan Borucki   #16: Jose Espada    #15: Dan Jansen
#14: Dwight Smith Jr.    #13: D.J. Davis    #12: Mitch Nay    #11: Angel Perdomo
#10: Clinton Hollon  #9: Max Pentecost    #8: Justin Maese    #7: Jon Harris
#6: Richard Urena   #5: Sean Reid-Foley   #4: Conner Greene   #3: Rowdy Tellez

With strong baseball bloodlines and a freakish athletic build for his age, Vladimir Guerrero Jr has long been touted as the next great Dominican slugger.

Having just been signed this past July for a bonus of $3.9 million there are no stats to look into to attempt to predict the type of player he could be.

Name: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Position: OF         Age: 16
Height: 6’1”    Weight: 210 lbs.
Throws: Right            Bats: Right
Acquired: International free agent (2015)

Canadian baseball fans should all know the Guerrero name by now, as Junior’s father was a perennial all-star in his day (and he is most famous here for his time as a Montreal Expo). Along with having a famous father, Guerrero’s cousins Gabby and Gregory recently signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets respectively.

The elder Guerrero made a name for himself with an outstanding bat (with a freakish strike zone). And while many will want to compare father to son, Guerrero Jr will be looking to make a name for himself.

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While his father was a true five-tool player, Junior seems to be more of an offensive oriented player. With such a large frame at such a young age, mobility on defence will always be an issue, and scouts are already saying he may not develop the cannon of an arm his father had.

Along with mobility on defence, his mobility on the basepaths will also be an issue.

But beyond those restrictions, the sky seems to be the limit when it comes to his bat. One of his fathers trademark characteristics was his ability to reach virtually any pitch (whether it was in the strike zone or buried in the dirt), and the younger Guerrero seems to have inherited that ability.

And there definitely will be no shortage of power in his game. While his father hit 449 career home runes, scouts are already raving that Guerrero Jr. may have even more power than his father. This youtube clip may prove just that.

And he definitely has the confidence to do so.

"“No, I feel no pressure. I am confident in my own talent and ability. My dad had nine All-Star games, I want 10. He only had like 450 home runs, I am going to try to hit way more, like Bonds. I also want 3,000 hits—my dad just missed it.”"

More blue jays: VIDEO: Junior Lake flipping bats and fitting in

So while he says he is trying to keep his weight down despite being at an age where he is still growing and becoming more athletic, his size may eventually force him to move to a corner infield spot (3rd base may still be too athletic for him, though the organization is determined to try).

If he is forced to move to first base, his bat will most definitely still play up at that position.

So with elite skills, a fully grown man’s body and prodigal power, the sky seems to be the limit.

And I, for one, am excited to see him reach that potential.

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