The Toronto Blue Jays have the face of their franchise in first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He is a four-time All-Star and has a top-two MVP finish already at just 25 years old. The Blue Jays could have traded Guerrero at this year's MLB trade deadline, but they kept him because of his star talent and his star name. Victor Martinez is a five-time All-Star and a coach for Toronto. He had quite the compliment for Guerrero.
Guerrero stood in front of the cameras postgame, sharing the story about his father when Victor Martinez walked by,” wrote Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. “Martinez is working with the Blue Jays as a special assistant and overlapped with Vlad Sr. in the big leagues for years. As Martinez passed, he waited for his moment between questions and said: “He’s going to be better than his dad.”
Vladimir Guerrero Sr is a career .318 hitter who launched 449 home runs in his 16-year career. A member of the 2018 Hall of Fame class, Guerrero is one of five Dominican-born players in Cooperstown and became the first player to wear an Angels cap on his plaque.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr has a long way to go to catch his dad. If Martinez is correct, the Blue Jays will be a force in the American League for many years.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr's path to catch his dad
Vlad Jr's impact comes as a power hitter and he has already clipped his dad's single-season home run personal best with 48 in 2021. He will have to keep up the power numbers and pass his dad's home run total. He enters Friday's action 296 home runs behind.
Vlad Jr currently hits round-trippers at his current pace of 32 per 162 games. It would take him over nine more full seasons to pass Vlad Sr's 494 at that pace. While the elder Guerrero provided value in so many other places, the home runs are the most realistic place where his son can catch him.
In terms of awards, Gurerro Jr is keeping pace with his dad. Through almost six seasons with the Blue Jays, Vlad Jr has four All-Star appearances, one Silver Slugger, one Gold Glove, and one top-three MVP finish. After six seasons with the Expos, his dad had three All-Star nods, two silver sluggers, no Gold Gloves, and only finished as high as sixth in the MVP race.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr will have to win an MVP award to truly bring the conversation to the forefront. His dad won his only MVP in his first season with the Anaheim Angels in 2004. With Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr, and Gunnar Henderson in the American League, Guerrero Jr has a tough field to compete against for an MVP.
Victor Martinez made quite a bold claim saying that Vladimir Guerrero Jr will be better than his dad when all is said and done. When looking at their career numbers, the younger Guerrero will have to put together another decade of excellent play to pass his dad and join him in Cooperstown.
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