Texas Rangers sign Pablo Guerrero, son of Vladimir Guerrero, in the international free agent pool
Once the doors opened on international free agency in Major League Baseball, signings immediately started to become official.
For those who aren’t familiar, the international signing period in MLB is essentially when major league clubs are able to sign young prospects from outside of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Most international free agent signings are players without any real hype attached to their names, but the Texas Rangers were able to bring aboard a name that will be familiar to many.
The Rangers were very busy in the early hours of international free agency, highlighted by an agreement the club reached with Pablo Guerrero, son of Vladimir Sr. and younger brother of Vladimir Jr.
Rangers: Vladimir Guerrero’s son Pablo Guerrero signed in international free agency
Pablo, 16, had been training with his uncle Wilton Guerrero, another former major leaguer, in the Dominican Republic prior to his being signed by Texas.
All reports indicate that Guerrero is of a similar build to his older brother Vlad Jr., and that he even plays the same position as his brother did coming up: third base.
Pablo has primarily lined up at third in the early days of his career but he also has seen time in the outfield. Long-term, the projections have him best suited for first base, which is the exact position his older brother calls home now.
The Guerrero name is not a foreign one to Rangers fans, as Vladimir Sr. played for the club in 2010, making his ninth and final All-Star Game, posting one of the best seasons of his career at the age of 35.
In 152 contests that year, Vlad Sr. hit 29 home runs, drove in 115 and posted an OPS+ of 119. The future Hall of Famer ultimately wound up playing just one more year for the Orioles, but wasn’t able to replicate the successes that he had in a Rangers uniform.