Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is putting the Toronto Blue Jays on his back this season.
It was only a matter of time before Vladimir Guerrero Jr. became the face of a Canadian MLB franchise like his namesake hall-of-fame father did before him.
While the Toronto Blue Jays are hovering around .500 and in fourth place in the deep NL East this year, Guerrero has not-so quietly emerged as the best power hitter in the Junior Circuit. He went yard twice off Tampa Bay Rays pitching on Monday afternoon in Dunedin. His first homer of the day tied Shohei Ohtani with a league-leading 14th and his second gave Guerrero the outright lead.
Of all the sons of famous Major Leaguers on the Blue Jays, Guerrero is shining the brightest now, though Fernando Tatis, Jr. would like a word.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is doing his part to carry the Toronto Blue Jays offense
Toronto entered play on Monday with a 23-22 record, which was good enough for 4.5 games back of the Rays and the Boston Red Sox in the tight AL East race. Only the Baltimore Orioles have a worse record than the Blue Jays at this time.
The Blue Jays were a postseason team a year ago, albeit as the No. 8 seed in a massively expanded AL field. Postseason expansion feels inevitable, but only five teams get in from both leagues this season.
While Toronto has the star power in Guerrero to be an exciting watch throughout the summer, we have to wonder if it will be enough to keep the Blue Jays in a tight divisional race.
Ultimately, the Blue Jays have drafted well and developed their young talent phenomenally. Guerrero is not the only son of a famous big leaguer who starts for the Blue Jays. They also have Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette making plays for them in the infield. While those guys have undeniable talent as well, it is Guerrero who has become the new face of the Blue Jays franchise.
Win or lose, it is always fun to watch Guerrero crank moon shots like his hall-of-fame dad did.