Blue Jays to call up Guerrero Jr. for debut on Friday
April 24, 2019
By Andrew Hendriks
Canadian Baseball Network
TORONTO -- The wait nearly is over.
In his post-game presser following Toronto's 4-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo announced that top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be in the lineup when his club squares off against the Oakland Athletics on Friday night.
Born in Montreal, Guerrero Jr., 20, has gone 11-for-30 over eight triple-A assignments since being rendered healthy following a minor oblique strain sustained during spring training, and joins the Blue Jays having slashed a healthy .331/.413/.531 with 121 extra-base knocks over 288 minor league contests dating back to his professional debut in 2016.
Having drawn more walks (150) than strike outs (139) over the course of his pro career, the son of 2017 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Vladimir Guerrero Sr. led all of minor league baseball with a .381 batting average last year, and earned the majors top prospect status on both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America's rankings ahead of the 2019 campaign.
Regarded by many as a generational-type talent, Guerrero Jr., who was signed as an international free agent in 2015, currently boasts a scouting hit grade of 80 with 70 power and, in addition to a pair of dramatic postseason runs, has a chance to go down as former Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos' lasting legacy in Toronto.
Toronto's front office will have to make a corresponding move ahead of Friday's series opener. Although option-less, one of either UTL Alen Hanson or OF Socrates Brito could lose their roster spot to Guerrero Jr..
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