Vladimir Guerrero Jr. set to make Blue Jays MiLB debut tonight

The Blue Jays officially signed Guerrero to a $3.9 million deal last July

Vladdy Jr. is hours away from his professional debut with the Toronto Blue Jays minor league affiliate in Bluefield.

The 17-year-old son of nine-time MLB all-star Vladimir Guerrero possesses immense power potential, and although he’s still far off in terms of major league impact, he’s stood by his stated goal of cracking the Blue Jays’ lineup before his 20th birthday.

Guerrero is expected to see time at third base, where he’s impressed the Blue Jays recently with a surprising level of athleticism. One knock on Guerrero from a scouting standpoint has been that he may profile as a first baseman or right-fielder when his body fully matures, but don’t be fooled by raw his size. Vladdy Jr. is big, but in all the ways an MLB team would want.

Starting so young, Guerrero’s rise through the minor league system will be a very telling showcase of how aggressive the new Blue Jays management group can be. Many top prospects received rather conservative assignments out of spring training, starting their seasons one level lower than expected. There hasn’t been a great deal of upward movement yet, either, but that could change over the coming two-to-three weeks.

Toronto has tested the odd player, however, like fellow bat-first prospect Rowdy Tellez and his double-A assignment. Taking the Rogers Centre field at age 19 is a lofty goal, but step one comes tonight at 7:05 p.m. ET on Bowen Field in Bluefield, Virginia.