Blue Jays: ‘Ready’ is an understatement for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sportnet’s Shi Davidhi had an opportunity to interview Vladimir Guerrero Jr recently, and the budding star gave us a lot to be excited about, including a declaration that he’s coming to the big leagues soon.

As the Blue Jays continue their search for their next manager and the MLB playoffs carry on, there isn’t a lot for Blue Jays fans to grab on to at this time of the year, at least not about their own team anyway.

That doesn’t stop many of us from dreaming about the future though, and in the case of the Blue Jays that future has an awful lot to be excited about. With the third ranked minor league system and the top prospect in baseball, patience will be a virtue for Blue Jays fans, and it should eventually pay off with a pretty exciting group of players on the way.

Leading that list is Vladimir Guerrero Jr, and the word “eventually” really doesn’t apply to him when it comes to whether or not he’s ready to play at the highest level. In fact, in a recent interview with Sportnet’s Shi Davidhi he was asked for a  message for Blue Jays’ fans, and his simple answer was, “I’m coming”.

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There’s really no denying that fact, and all that’s really left to determine is whether Vlad Jr. will be on the Blue Jays roster on Opening Day, or whether he’s called up three weeks later in order for the Blue Jays to secure one more year of service time. Either way, it won’t be long before we’re watching the top prospect in baseball show what he’s got against big league pitching.

After slashing .381/.437/.636 across 357 at bats in Double and Triple-A this past season, he’s left no doubt that he’s ready for the next challenge. And as if that wasn’t impressive enough, the 19 year old has been absolutely terrorizing the Arizona Fall League so far this month, hitting .556 through the team’s first five games, and adding to the hype that already follows him wherever he goes.

Davidhi also detailed a story in his recent piece that reveals even more about Guerrero’s talent, and how he may respond to a subtle challenge, let alone an obvious one. His manager in Triple-A this year was Bobby Meachum, who had this anecdote for Davidhi’s latest article.

"(I remember joking with him one day…..) ‘Hey, these guys are pitching you tough. This guy’s really coming in on you,’” recalls Meacham. “He just kind of looked at me and then the next at-bat, the guy tried to come in on him and he hit a line drive out of the ballpark."

It’s not quite as dramatic, but we’re talking about a teenager who is basically calling his shot against a professional pitcher. That’s just ridiculous.

So while he may legitimately need some work on his defence, base-running, and to gain the general experience that only time will give him, there’s little doubt that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is ready for the next challenge.