Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr leaves AFL early due to family matter
With just three games remaining for his team during the AFL schedule, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has finished his season early due to a family matter.
For those of us who have been hanging on to every last at bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s AFL campaign, unfortunately it’s come to an early end.
The young phenom was playing for the Surprise Saguaros, who with a record of 10-17 won’t be playing in the championship game this weekend. They have three games remaining on their schedule, and unfortunately Guerrero Jr won’t be taking part in them.
According to an article from mlb.com by William Boor, Guerrero has left the team a few days early, ending his short season with the Saguaros, but not before greatly impressing in the extended season play. He’ll finish his time in the league with a slash line of .351/.398/.446, which still looks very impressive despite the fact that he’s been on a recent slump of 3-25.
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Oddly enough, young Vlad didn’t hit any home runs during his AFL stint, but as Boor pointed out he came up with seven doubles and routinely made very “loud” contact. Even with the “human” slump in the last six games he played in, the impression has been made and this kid is going to be a superstar.
The number one prospect in baseball is expected to make his way to the big leagues next year, whether it’s on Opening Day or just a few weeks into the season.
There’s little question as to whether or not he’s ready for the final leap, but the Blue Jays stand to gain an extra year of contract control if he starts the season in Triple-A for a few years.
The biggest reason for his playing in the AFL this fall was to make up for some lost time due to injury earlier this year, and he continued to show why he’s so highly regarded. It’s a shame he wasn’t able to finish out the final few games of the schedule, but as always, family must come first.