Article: Mr. Blue Jay: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

[Peter Snow]

Beyond the analysis and the dollars and cents, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract extension will make him mean more to the Blue Jays franchise than any other player.

There’s a famous photo of a pre-school aged Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the field at the Montreal’s Olympic stadium with his dad. It was Vladimir Guerrero’s final home game with the Expos, and Vlad Jr. is wearing a team uniform and waving a batting helmet to the crowd. It’s no secret that Vlad was born in Canada during his father’s stint with Montreal, eventually moving to the Dominican Republic with his mother. He spent most of his childhood there, while summering in the United States and learning baseball from his uncle Wilton Guerrero. It’s an often-told story and we can all appreciate the coincidence that this Canadian citizen would be signed by the other (and only remaining) Canadian team as an international free agent. As the cornerstone of the Blue Jays' effort to sign the child of every former major leaguer, Guerrero Jr. was part of a top-10 ranked farm system. Along with Bo Bichette, he was seen as the future face of the franchise. It remains to be seen what will happen to Bichette, but by awarding a 14-year contract extension, the Blue Jays have locked Guerrero in for the rest of his career. Ignoring the possibility of a future trade, discussions of contract value, and aging curves, let’s take a minute to talk about Vladimir “Blue Jay For Life” Guerrero Jr. as a current and future team legend. 

Looking up at the Rogers Centre Level of Excellence, you’ll notice a theme. There’s not a single, career-long Blue Jays player. Dave Stieb is the closest, but he pitched four games for the White Sox in his final season. Guerrero is already second on the list of games played by players who’ve only appeared for the Blue Jays, only 102 games behind Garth Iorg. The fact that Guerrero will likely pass him this season speaks to the nature of the modern game and how infrequently the Blue Jays have had a player they wanted to keep around forever. They tried with Vernon Wells and maybe should have with Carlos Delgado and Roy Halladay, but in the end, the organization had other priorities. Guerrero will also crack the top 20 in overall Blue Jays games played this year, and if he stays healthy for most of his contract he will catch Tony Fernandez for the all-time team lead. 

Ask any 10-year-old Blue Jays fan, and they probably love this signing. The odds are good they have a Guerrero jersey or shirsy hanging in their closet. Maybe they’ve got one of his many bobbleheads or a Funko pop figure. They’ve probably taken many at-bats with him in MLB the Show or pretended to be him while rounding the bases of their local sandlot. Guerero is fun, entertaining, marketable, and really good at baseball. It’s the perfect storm for becoming everyone’s favourite player and Mr. Blue Jay for the 2020s and beyond.  Regardless of your thoughts on the deal, and lots of people have thoughts about the deal, Guerrero is a popular Blue Jay and he wants to play here. The fact that he is technically a Canadian is certainly a bonus, even if it has no practical impact on anything (see the Dominican Republic roster for the WBC). You couldn’t ask for a better player to market a franchise. 

As a homegrown star, if Guerrero spends the next 15 years setting Blue Jays records, competing for major awards, and leading the team to playoff success, he will undoubtedly be the greatest Blue Jay of all time. Whether he makes the Hall of Fame or not, he will find himself on the Level of Excellence (and probably the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.) An entire generation of Blue Jays fans will remember him as their favourite player, and his jersey will continue to fill the park for years to come. Even without team success, Guerrero is the face of this franchise. He will receive the greatest praise and the endure harshest criticism. Fans and pundits alike will analyze this deal for the next 15 years, but one thing is certain: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is Mr. Blue Jay, now and probably forever.

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[Brock Beauchamp]

Laugh all you want on this, the kid took three bags. 

[John_Havok]

P Snow.

Heh....

[Eat My Shatkins]

17 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Laugh all you want on this, the kid took three bags. 

Even hit a ground ball.