In the wake of an American League MVP campaign that had people questioning if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be the first player in major league history to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season, the 19-year-old slugger’s leadoff home runs in the Toronto Blue Jays’ win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night only served to further cement his status as one of the premier young players in the game.
Viktor Guerrero, Jr. recently broke a record set by his father and fellow Hall of Fame-worthy baseball player, Vladimir Guerrero, Sr. In an age when the game of baseball is completely dominated by big athletes, it’s important to remember the impact a smaller player like Guerrero, Jr. can have.
Vladimir Guerrero had a Hall of Fame career with 449 home runs, 1,496 RBI, nine All-Star appearances and an AL MVP award. His legendary resume will be hard to match by his son, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. But in just three years of his MLB career, Vlad Jr. has already accomplished what his father never could.Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is following in the footsteps of his father
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a grand slam in the third inning against the Washington Nationals| Sam Greenwood/Getty Images 
COMPARED TO: Mets manager Tony Tarasco would have stayed on the streets of California if theCrips gang hadn’t been so compelling. Bobby and Barry Bonds. Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr. Felipe and Moises Alou. MLB is a family affair for many father-son duos, and Vladimir and Vlad Jr. are next on the list. Vladimir had an impressive MLB career that spanned 16 seasons. He is considered one of the most dangerous players of the last two decades, as he hit nearly 450 home runs and batted .318 during his career. Pitchers were so afraid to pitch in front of Guerrero that he was given 250 intentional walks in the MLB. He led the league in intentional walks in five different seasons. Eight years after Vladimir played his last MLB game, his son, Vlad Jr. As a rookie in 2019, Vlad Jr hit .272, hit 15 home runs and scored 69 runs for the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished the season in sixth place in the Rookie of the Year election. Last year, in the season shortened by the lockout, Vlad Jr. still hit nine home runs and had 33 RBI in 60 games. A month into his third season in the MLB, Vlad Jr. is already having his best year as a pro. In 22 games this year, Vlad Jr. is hitting .360 with seven home runs and 19 RBI. His on base percentage (.484), slugging percentage (.693) and OPS (1.177) are career highs for the 22-year-old. And on Tuesday night, he made history.
Vladimir the younger did something his father never did
At 22, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the youngest player in Blue Jays history with a three-hit game. He became the second youngest player in the last 50 years to do so. Vlad Jr. is also the youngest player in MLB history to have a game with 3 hard and 7 RBI. Note that Vlad Sr. has never had a tough 3 game. pic.twitter.com/lnEVvD7eXS – ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 28, 2021 COMPARED TO: Babe Ruth once spent a day in jail before getting to the stadium in time to save $500. Vladimir had a Hall of Fame career in the MLB. It would be unfair to have such high expectations of his son early in his professional career. But Vlad Jr. needed only 205 games to do what his father failed to do in 2,147 games. Vlad Jr. hit three home runs Tuesday night, including a grand slam in the third inning against the Washington Nationals. In doing so, he became the youngest player in MLB history to hit three home runs and have seven RBI, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Vladimir has never hit three home runs in his MLB career. But the Montreal Expos legend was not jealous of his son, who surpassed him. Tuesday night, he was the proudest dad on Twitter.
Vladimir celebrates his son’s birthday on Twitter
August. 360. 7 HR 19 RBI Proud father! ❤️#VG27 – Vladimir Guerrero (@VladGuerrero27) April 28, 2021 COMPARED TO: Michael Jordan signed with the White Sox on the birthday of the only Michael Jordan to play Major League Baseball During the Blue Jays game yesterday, Vladimir, as he often does, began streaming his son’s performance live via his official Twitter account , . He sent an eye-rolling emoji when Vlad Jr. hit a big slam to Max Scherzer in the third inning. Then, after his son’s second pitch, Vladimir wrote: Yes, another one with two flame emoji. After the game, Vladimir tweeted: Tremenda noche para mi niño. Los frutos de tantos trabajos se están viendo, which can be roughly translated as follows: Big night for my boy. The fruits of this hard work are already visible. All statistics are from Baseball Reference
