It has been a difficult year at the Major League level for the Blue Jays, but down below in the minors Vladimir Guerrero Jr. provided much for the organization to be excited about.
And on Wednesday, Guerrero was named ESPN's 2017 Prospect of the Year.
The 18-year-old — who is the son of former MLB star Vladimir Guerrero — finished the MiLB season batting .323 with an on-base percentage of .425 and a .485 slugging percentage. He had 13 home runs and 76 RBI on the year and had more walks than strikeouts this season.
“I could make arguments for other players, but no one blew the doors off the hinges this year the way the 18-year-old son of possible Hall of Famer Vlad Sr. did,” ESPN senior baseball writer Keith Law wrote.
MORE: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette play in Futures Game
Several other major baseball publications have also recognized junior's rising-star status, including, most recently, Baseball America.
The August all-prospect team is led by the potential new top prospect in baseball. https://t.co/a1bQqlrapv
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) September 4, 2017
The Montreal native was also named the Florida State League Player of the Month on Wednesday for his play in August, where he had a 1.129 on-base percentage. He played the first half of the season with Toronto's Low-A affiliate, the Lansing Lugnuts, before playing the final 48 games of the season with Dunedin at High-A.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. named Florida State League Player of the Month for August
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 6, 2017
Had 1.129 OPS, 12 multi-hit games, 19 BB / 13 K #BlueJays
Guerrero started out the season ranked No. 48 on ESPN's prospect list, yet quickly climbed his way to the No. 8 spot by the midway point. It was his play in the back half of the season that pushed him to the top of ESPN's list.
Guerrero signed a $3.9 million deal with the Blue Jays in 2015 when he was just 16-years-old.
“Those kind of guys don’t come across very often,” Blue Jays special assistant of Latin American operations, Ismael Cruz, told MLB.com in 2015. “So it was either play all of your marbles on one guy or it was go out and get a couple of players that are fine, but for us, Vladimir is a difference-maker. He has the potential to be a very, very special kid.”
Though the Florida State League regular season concluded, Guerrero and Dunedin are still in action, facing the Yankees' Tampa affiliate in a best-of-three playoff series this week. Dunedin dropped the series opener on Tuesday despite a two-hit effort by Guerrero.