Vladimir Guerrero Jr. seems destined for baseball greatness.
His father, former Montreal Expos slugger Vladimir Guererro Sr., could be heading to the Hall of Fame Wednesday, and on Tuesday the younger Guererro earned some plaudits of his own.
A day after the Toronto Blue Jays' highly touted 18-year-old was named No. 3 on Baseball America‘s list of Top 100 Prospects, Guerrero was ranked as the top third base prospect by MLB Pipeline.
The teenager is accustomed to the accolades, having been named the third-best prospect at his position by MLB Pipeline a year ago. He then embarked on a 2017 Class A season in which he hit .323 with 13 home runs and 76 RBI in 119 games, which led to him earning the best hit tool ever bestowed on a prospect.
An 80 hit tool!? Yes, that's an 80 hit tool -- the first we've ever given out. #BlueJays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has the highest offensive ceiling of any @MLB prospect & is No. 1 on our Top 10 3B Prospects list: https://t.co/l1C5KRCAgL pic.twitter.com/gkU1fz4tb5
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) January 23, 2018
With plate mechanics that are, according to MLB Pipeline's Gregor Chisholm, "eerily similar" to those of his famous father, Guerrero is under enormous pressure. However, the teenager said he's not worried about what is expected of him, only that he continues working toward his goal of reaching baseball's biggest stage.
"Every day, my mindset is not thinking about when I'm going to play in the big leagues," Guerrero told MLB.com through an interpreter. "I just do my best and try to help my team win that night. ... Every time I get to the ballpark, I'm thinking about doing my best. I'm not thinking about that stuff."
