It took some time (as it often does with young players), but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is showing why he was the consensus top prospect in baseball ahead of the 2019 season.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ slugger cranked three dingers and drove in seven runs in a 9-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday in Dunedin, FL (temporary home for the Jays). Two of the home runs came against three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, and the first home run — which was vs Scherzer — was a go-ahead grand slam when Toronto trailed 3-0 in the third inning.
Check out this absurd power to all fields from Guerrero (who just turned 22 in March):
A #PLAKATA, but make it G R A N D 💥 pic.twitter.com/IZZXYWPaYC
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 28, 2021
💥 Video Game Vlad does it AGAIN 💥 pic.twitter.com/1BrP4I2muK
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 28, 2021
THREE homers. SEVEN RBI.
He's here 💥 pic.twitter.com/IYutrypJwU
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 28, 2021
Even his dad — a Hall of Famer — never had a three-homer game.
At 22 years old, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the youngest player in Blue Jays history with a 3-HR game. He's the 2nd-youngest player in the last 50 years to do it.
Vlad Jr. is also the youngest player in MLB history with a 3-HR, 7 RBI game.
Note, Vlad Sr. never had a 3-HR game. pic.twitter.com/lnEVvD7eXS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 28, 2021
Vladito is putting together ridiculous numbers on the season, with a .360 batting average (5th in MLB), .484 on-base percentage (2nd in MLB), .693 slugging percentage (5th in MLB), and 1.177 OPS (3rd in MLB). He ranks behind only Mike Trout, Byron Buxton, and Ronald Acuña Jr in wins above replacement (WAR), according to FanGraphs.
The top-4 position players in fWAR… only one of them was never the No. 1 prospect (by BA, BP, MLB) in baseball (it's the first guy).
Mike Trout: 1.9
Byron Buxton: 1.8
Ronald Acuña Jr: 1.8
Vladimir Guerrero Jr: 1.7— Matt Clapp (@TheBlogfines) April 28, 2021
The Blue Jays are a highly talented young squad, and they may very well be a legitimate AL East crown threat if Guerrero keeps hitting anything like this.
Related: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits a 456-foot home run, the longest of his MLB career so far
