Nothing tantalizes and
titillates baseball people quite like someone whose talent is so
obvious, so preternatural that he defies every expectation of what he
can and should be. And so with that in mind – and with a certain amount
of caution but even more excitement – two scouts this week offered the
same opinion: By the end of the 2017 season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is
going to be the best prospect in baseball.
Only 11 Hall of Famers’ sons have played in the big leagues, and the best of them – Eduardo Perez, Dick Sisler and Dale Berra – were average players. Vlad Jr. is not average. He is a 6-foot-1, 220-pound third baseman who impressed scouts last year in rookie ball and this season is causing regret for the other 29 teams that didn’t pony up the $3.9 million the Blue Jays paid to sign him in the summer of 2015.
Born in Montreal, reared at the Dominican academy of his uncle Wilton Guerrero, Vladimir’s brother, Junior is hitting .327/.422/.500. He has uncommon plate discipline for a teenager: 25 walks against 23 strikeouts. The worst thing one can say about him is that his body – never exactly his calling card – will force a move from third base. Idealistically, he’ll wind up at a corner-outfield spot. First base may be his ultimate destination.
While landing at first tends to erode a
player’s prospect value, Cody Bellinger’s torrid start for the Los
Angeles Dodgers this season reminds that a truly special bat carries
immense value no matter the position.
It propelled Guerrero to the top of this season’s first Prospect Heat Check. It will ensure his place in plenty more. In the meantime, here are 29 more prospects worth keeping an eye on as the minor league season grinds into the summer months.
Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto, Low-A
Guerrero isn’t even the best-performing second-generation player on his team. While older brother Dante Jr. has stalled out in Double-A with the Yankees, the 19-year-old Bo is hitting .372/.452/.598 and drawing raves from scouts. One believes he’s more of a second baseman long-term but sees an All-Star bat there. Among Bichette, Guerrero and Anthony Alford, the Blue Jays have three of the most dynamic players in the minors.
Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego, Low-A
While on the subject of second-generation players, we’d be remiss not to mention Tatis, who, like Guerrero, is the rare full-season 18-year-old. Even if he’s not producing like Guerrero, a .271/.347/.441 line isn’t shabby, and between Tatis’ immense raw power and the price the Padres paid for him – he was the main return in the James Shields deal with the White Sox – getting him was one of general manager A.J. Preller’s finest moves.
Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta, Double-A
Might as well stick with precocious teenagers. The Braves, who are promoting players as aggressively as anyone, bumped Acuna to Double-A at 19, and all he has done in 21 games there is hit .415/.467/.634. An average on balls in play well over .500 helps, and that will normalize. Still, in an organization teeming with prospects, Acuna has the best chance to be a star. He’s got legs to match the bat. With 12 stolen bases at Double-A and 14 more in 28 games at High-A, his 26 swipes are second in all the minors.
Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka, LHP and RHP, Atlanta, Double-A
Two more teenagers at Mississippi who are doing things well beyond their years. The Braves took Allard with the 14th pick in 2015 when a back injury caused him to drop in the draft, and all he has done this year is put up a 1.83 ERA in a league where he’s the youngest pitcher at 19. Soroka is nine days older, taken 14 picks later by the Braves out of high school in Calgary, and has been every bit as impressive.
Joey Wentz, LHP, Atlanta, Low-A
The pride of Shawnee Mission East High in Kansas – currently home of freshman Robert Moore, the talented son of Kansas City GM Dayton Moore – went to the Braves last year for an over-slot bonus of more than $3 million. Wentz’s 3.18 ERA is all the more impressive considering balls in play are falling nearly 40 percent of the time. His peripherals tell a far better story: In 39 2/3 innings, he has struck out 42, walked eight and not allowed a home run. His fastball can run up into the mid-90s, and among the Braves’ deep cache of minor league starters, he may have the most upside.
It propelled Guerrero to the top of this season’s first Prospect Heat Check. It will ensure his place in plenty more. In the meantime, here are 29 more prospects worth keeping an eye on as the minor league season grinds into the summer months.
Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto, Low-A
Guerrero isn’t even the best-performing second-generation player on his team. While older brother Dante Jr. has stalled out in Double-A with the Yankees, the 19-year-old Bo is hitting .372/.452/.598 and drawing raves from scouts. One believes he’s more of a second baseman long-term but sees an All-Star bat there. Among Bichette, Guerrero and Anthony Alford, the Blue Jays have three of the most dynamic players in the minors.
Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego, Low-A
While on the subject of second-generation players, we’d be remiss not to mention Tatis, who, like Guerrero, is the rare full-season 18-year-old. Even if he’s not producing like Guerrero, a .271/.347/.441 line isn’t shabby, and between Tatis’ immense raw power and the price the Padres paid for him – he was the main return in the James Shields deal with the White Sox – getting him was one of general manager A.J. Preller’s finest moves.
Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta, Double-A
Might as well stick with precocious teenagers. The Braves, who are promoting players as aggressively as anyone, bumped Acuna to Double-A at 19, and all he has done in 21 games there is hit .415/.467/.634. An average on balls in play well over .500 helps, and that will normalize. Still, in an organization teeming with prospects, Acuna has the best chance to be a star. He’s got legs to match the bat. With 12 stolen bases at Double-A and 14 more in 28 games at High-A, his 26 swipes are second in all the minors.
Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka, LHP and RHP, Atlanta, Double-A
Two more teenagers at Mississippi who are doing things well beyond their years. The Braves took Allard with the 14th pick in 2015 when a back injury caused him to drop in the draft, and all he has done this year is put up a 1.83 ERA in a league where he’s the youngest pitcher at 19. Soroka is nine days older, taken 14 picks later by the Braves out of high school in Calgary, and has been every bit as impressive.
Joey Wentz, LHP, Atlanta, Low-A
The pride of Shawnee Mission East High in Kansas – currently home of freshman Robert Moore, the talented son of Kansas City GM Dayton Moore – went to the Braves last year for an over-slot bonus of more than $3 million. Wentz’s 3.18 ERA is all the more impressive considering balls in play are falling nearly 40 percent of the time. His peripherals tell a far better story: In 39 2/3 innings, he has struck out 42, walked eight and not allowed a home run. His fastball can run up into the mid-90s, and among the Braves’ deep cache of minor league starters, he may have the most upside.
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