MLB - NEWS & NOTES

TORONTO -- It's the beginning of a new era in Blue Jays baseball: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has arrived.

One of the most hyped players in Minor League history will make his debut on the big stage Friday night against Oakland. Weeks of endless speculation, years of glowing scouting reports and countless hours honing his craft have all led to this moment.

Guerrero hasn't even played in a Major League game, and yet when he does, it will immediately become one of the biggest moments in franchise history. That's how much attention will be on the shoulders of the 20-year-old, who was born in Montreal and raised in the Dominican Republic.

Baseball fans have been waiting a long time for this day to arrive. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Guerrero's debut, what it means now and what it means for the future of the Blue Jays' organization:

Why is he such a big deal?

Guerrero initially garnered attention because of his Hall of Fame father, but the bat does most of the talking now. Simply put, Guerrero turned into one of the best hitters the Minor Leagues has ever seen, and he did it in almost record time. Last year, in his age 19 season, Guerrero slashed .381/.437/.636 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs in 95 games across four levels.

Guerrero got a $3.9 million signing bonus in 2015 and has been the No. 1 prospect in baseball -- according to MLB Pipeline -- since last summer. He became the face of the franchise the moment manager Charlie Montoyo announced he was being promoted. This is his team now, rookie or not.

 

Vlad contributes right away...

 

Yesterday's Top Performers

Batters:

Tyler Flowers* (ATL): 4-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Nelson Cruz* (MIN): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Francisco Lindor* (CLE): 2-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Jose Abreu (CHW): 4-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

Tim Anderson (CHW): 4-6, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB

Luke Voit (NYY): 3-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Miguel Cabrera (DET): 4-6, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Nomar Mazara (TEX): 3-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Edwin Encarnacion (SEA): 2-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

Christian Yelich (MIL): 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 SB

 

Pitchers:

Marcus Stroman* (TOR): 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 K, 2 BB, 80 GmSc

Jerad Eickhoff* (PHI): 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB, 78 GmSc

Max Scherzer (WSN): 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 10 K, 0 BB, 71 GmSc

Anthony DeSclafani (CIN): 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 3 BB, 67 GmSc

Matt Strahm (SDP): 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 K, 0 BB, 64 GmSc

 

tried to trade for Vlag Jr and the guy said "not a chance." ok. how many of these can't miss guys miss ? i offered him a solid player he needs bc he's thin at that position. i've taken a ton of these rookies who flop. hopefully he won't. btw how is robles doing for the nats or soto? it took 2 yrs for the chi sox 2b to pan out.

 

Todays MLB Action...

 

this is odd...since RBIs wasn't considered a stat until 1920, Cap Anson and Babe Ruth aren't officially on the list. If you consider them, Pujols is 5th on the list. If he keeps playing, he will pass ARod this year to be 4th. Quite a career for #5.

 

...and this happened yesterday.

 

...and this is supposed to happen today.

 

Sabathia, 38, is in 17th place on the all-time strikeouts leaderboard behind John Smoltz at 3,084. He’s one of only three lefties in the 3,000 strikeout club. Sabathia could also conceivably pass Curt Schilling (3,116) and Bob Gibson (3,117) and move into 14th place by the end of the season.

Sabathia entered Tuesday’s start having allowed just four earned runs on 10 hits and four walks with 11 strikeouts over 15 innings on the season. The potential Hall of Famer plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2019 season. (NBC's, HBT)

 

Todays Schedule...

 

Vladdy jr hitting .200 without a hr so far.