Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Lore & Background

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Guerrero was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2015. In 2018, he was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and USA Today after batting .381 with 20 home runs, 78 RBIs, and 38 strikeouts in 95 games. In 2021, he led the MLB in home runs (48, tied), runs scored (123), and total bases (363), while earning his first All-Star Game selection and winning the All-Star Game MVP award, becoming the youngest player to do so. He also finished second in AL MVP voting that season. Since 2021, Guerrero has appeared in six All-Star Games, been selected three times to the All-MLB First Team, and won two Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove Award as a first baseman.

In Their Own Story

The lights of Rogers Centre hummed overhead as the crowd held its breath. It was early in the season, the air crisp with spring anticipation. Guerrero Jr. stepped into the box, adjusting his helmet with practiced ease. He tapped the plate twice, eyes locked on the pitcher’s mound. The pitch came in—a fastball down the middle. He swung level and true. The sound of wood meeting leather echoed through the stadium as the ball soared toward the left-field stands, a moment of pure connection between legacy and present.

Reader's Guide

Guerrero is the son of Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and the nephew of former MLB player Wilton Guerrero. He was born in Montreal during his father's tenure with the Montreal Expos, which granted him Canadian citizenship. After his parents separated when he was very young, he moved with his mother to Santiago in the Dominican Republic. Throughout his childhood, Guerrero split his time living with his mother in Santiago, with his uncle Wilton in Don Gregorio, and spent summers with his father in the United States. In 2003, during his father's final game for the Expos at Olympic Stadium, four-year-old Guerrero, dressed in an Expos uniform, joined his father on the field. His father instructed him to remove his helmet and wave to the crowd, creating an iconic photograph. Guerrero was introduced to baseball by his uncle Wilton, who taught him the fundamentals. He signed with the Blue Jays on July 2, 2015, for $3.9 million. He made his professional debut with the Bluefield Blue Jays in 2016. He was promoted through the minors, playing for Lansing, Dunedin, New Hampshire, and Buffalo. He made his MLB debut on April 26, 2019. In 2019, he hit his first MLB home run on May 14, becoming the youngest Blue Jay to hit a home run. He also set records in the 2019 Home Run Derby. In 2020, he shifted primarily to first base. In 2021, he had a standout season leading the league in several categories.

Did You Know?

• Guerrero hit his first MLB home run on May 14, 2019, at 20 years and 59 days old, becoming the youngest Blue Jay to hit a home run.
• In the 2019 Home Run Derby, he broke the single-round home run record with 40 home runs and the overall record with 91 home runs, though he lost in the final.
• In 2021, he led the MLB in home runs (48, tied), runs scored (123), and total bases (363).
• He won the All-Star Game MVP in 2021, becoming the youngest player to do so.
• Guerrero's father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., is a Baseball Hall of Famer, and his uncle Wilton Guerrero also played in MLB.