Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Eloy Jimenez Making Major League Push
For the past few years the league has been getting younger and younger in an attempt to maximize player value but also to let talented prospects prove themselves at the Major League level.
It just so happens that there have been an increasing number of high-end prospects on the cusp of getting promoted to their big league clubs.
Before the season started one could make an argument that the top 15 prospects in baseball were better than the top 3 from any previous five year stretch combined.
Welcome to the Golden Age of Awesome Prospects.
The two top prospects for this year, Ronald Acuña and Shohei Ohtani, have already proven themselves to worth the hype. Fellow top prospects Gleyber Torres and Walker Buehler have forced their way into frontline action and look to stay there for the foreseeable future.
Even with all of those promotions, the minor leagues are still loaded with superstar-potential hitters and pitchers that will soon become household names. Let’s take a look at two that I think will get called up by the end of this season and when they do, will become permanent fixtures for their teams.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Third Base, Blue Jays
The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero is doing the family name proud and hitting the snot out of the ball. He’s got a slash line of .392/.446/.667 and an OPS of 1.113. Guerrero is considered by many to be the premiere bat-to-ball hitter in the minors. And while his defense at third base isn’t exactly gold glove, he’s adequate for now.
He’s a bit heftier than his dad and that might necessitate a move to first base or designated hitter. Regardless of whether the Blue Jays are able to stay in the playoff hunt, I think you can expect a late July or early August debut for Vlad Jr.
Eloy Jimenez, Outfield, White Sox
When the Cubs traded for lefty pitcher Jose Quintana last year they had to give up one of the best slugging outfielders in the minors. Eloy Jimenez has delivered his new team and shown power that makes all the fantasy baseball folks get weak in the knees. In just 19 games this season, he has 7 home runs and a slash line of .333/.357/.679 with an OPS of 1.037.
Yeah, I guess I’d like to see some more walks in there, but he’s shown a better walk rate in the past. Maybe he’s just hitting the pitches that are being thrown– and hitting them very far. I think Eloy is going to keep mashing and force the White Sox front office to bring him up at some point this season.
Another future stud to watch out for is Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals. Victor Robles is the outfielder that gets most of the attention in that farm system but Soto is putting up huge numbers this year. He had a shaky season last year dealing with some injuries and a concussion, but that all seems to be behind him. I doubt he’ll get called up unless things get really weird in Washington. Well, weirder than things already are.
