The best prospect in baseball, Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., will make his major-league debut on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics. Guerrero's promotion comes long after it seemed merited, as he had been the victim of service-time manipulation. Nonetheless, he's a big-leaguer now, and that means it's time to enjoy his ample talent.
And boy, does Guerrero have ample talent. In 12 minor-league games this season, he'd hit .333/.400/.578 with three home runs and as many walks as strikeouts. That works out to a .978 OPS -- which is 95 points lower than what he posted last season. The guy can hit, folks.
To help prepare everyone for the Vladito era, we've decided to provide answers for all the things you need to know about his debut.
1. How can I watch Vlad Jr. and the Blue Jays?
The Blue Jays play the Athletics three times this weekend, and each game is at a different time. Friday night's series kickoff will start at 7:07 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on MLB Network. Fans in the Bay Area can stream the games regionally via fuboTV (Try for free). On Saturday, the two sides will begin play at 3:07 p.m. ET. The series finale then begins on Sunday at 1:07 p.m. ET.
2. How does he compare to his father?
Some within the industry believe Guerrero Jr. will become a better player than his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr. That's high praise considering the elder Guerrero is a Hall of Famer. Yet those in the know point to Junior's mature approach and ability to play a tolerable third base as potential difference makers. Interestingly enough, the Guerreros performed similarly on the minor-league level.
3. How do we evaluate him?
Our own Dayn Perry walked us through some indicators that will tell whether Guerrero Jr. is taking well to the majors on a level beyond his surface statistics. Those include his grasp of the strike zone, his exit velocity, and his ability to lift big-league pitching.
4. What should we expect from him in fantasy?
"Immediate greatness," per Scott White, who urged fantasy players to hold onto Guerrero because of his potential to be one of the game's better hitters from day one.
5. Where will his debut stack up against others?
Our Matt Snyder broke down some of the most memorable big-league debuts in recent history, ranging from Shohei Ohtani's last year to Bryce Harper's back in the day. Where will Guerrero Jr.'s fit in? We'll find out soon enough.
