A look at Vladdy’s career accomplishments as he turns 25

In 2019, the Blue Jays underwent a lot of changes and saw the arrival of many young players who quickly imposed themselves as key players. One of them was first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who turns 25 years old today.

Career Stats

While still being this young, Guerrero has already taken part in 660 big league games. Only 4 active players have played more games than him before turning 25 years old: Juan Soto (779), Bryce Harper (768), Mike Trout (762), and Manny Machado (687). Since his second season in 2020, Guerrero has only missed 9 games due to injury or rest. In that span, only three players have played more games than him: Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, and Freddie Freeman.

Guerrero has also hit 130 homers since he made his big league debut. Again, this is the 5th best total among active players. The ones to outrank him are: Juan Soto (160), Mike Trout (160), Giancarlo Stanton (154), and Bryce Harper (150).

The Blue Jays first baseman is also known for his ability to drive in runs. Since 2019, he leads the team in RBI with 404. This is also the 10th best total in the entire league in that span, ranked among players like Freddie Freeman, Nolan Arenado, and José Ramirez.

Guerrero has also accumulated 10.1 wins above average (WAR) since 2019, according to FanGraphs. This ranks him 12th among qualified first baseman. If you look at first baseman fWAR leaders since 2021, Guerrero comes in fifth place.

2021 Season

In 2021, Guerrero had just turned 22 years old and might have had the best season ever by a player that age. He hit .311 at the plate and had a 1.002 OPS, which resulted in a 167 OPS+. He also slugged 48 home runs, setting a new single-season record for most home runs by a player 22 or younger. The record was previously established in 1937 by Yankees outfielder Joe DiMaggio, who hit 47 that year.

Guerrero also drove in 111 runs, and walked 86 times. He was also put on base intentionally 7 times, via intentional bases on balls.

All those achievements led him to a Silver Slugger Award, given only to the best hitter at specific positions during the season. He also finished second in AL MVP voting, losing to Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.

Awards

In 2019, Guerrero finished sixth in AL rookie of the year voting. He hit .272 at the plate and had a .772 OPS. He also drove in 69 runs in 514 plate appearances. It led him to sixth place in American League Rookie of the Year that year. Yordan Alvarez won the award.

Guerrero came up to the big leagues as a third baseman and it did not go well for him. He played the 2019 season there, appearing in 824.1 innings at the hot corner, recording -3 Defensive Runs Saved, and a dismal -20 Outs Above Average. The following year, the Blue Jays moved him across the diamond, where he became a very solid first baseman. In 2022, Guerrero won the AL first baseman gold glove, recording 3 DRS, and -4 OAA.

Guerrero has also been nominated for the all-star team on three different occasions. He made it in each of the last three seasons.

Conclusion

It's easy to forget how young Guerrero still is considering how long he's been around, but it's important to remember what he has done for this team and that his best years are still ahead of him.