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Vlad Guerrero Jr. Has 'No Firm Timeline' to Join Blue Jays, Says GM Ross Atkins

Paul Kasabian

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters that "there's no firm timeline" on prized prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s arrival to the bigs.

"There's no firm timeline on when he arrives or when he is playing in Toronto for the first time," Atkins said Thursday at spring training. "But we want to make sure he's the best possible third baseman and the best possible hitter he can be."

Guerrero, who turns 20 years old in March, is already making waves. Over four levels of minor league baseball last season, the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero slashed .381/.437/.636. Most impressively, Guerrero had no problem with Triple-A pitching based on producing six home runs, 16 RBI and a .336 batting average in 30 games.

Unsurprisingly, Guerrero is the top-ranked player on MLB Pipeline's list of the top 100 prospects. He received a perfect 80 grade for his hitting ability as well. The site's scouting report is glowing:

"Guerrero is an elite, generational-type hitter who stands out as much for his physical tools at the plate as his approach and capacity for making adjustments. His swing is both explosive and efficient, a combination of electric bat speed, physical strength and off-the-charts barrel control, and it makes him adept at crushing both heaters and secondary pitches to all parts of the field. He has 80-grade raw power and hit a career-high 20 home runs in 2018, but it's widely agreed that Guerrero is merely scraping the surface of his power ceiling."

Toronto is in rebuilding mode with the core from its 2015 and 2016 teams that appeared in the American League Championship Series now dismantled. The future is bright, however, with Guerrero, Bo Bichette (No. 11) and catcher Danny Jansen leading a group of six Jays in the top 100.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report ranks the Blue Jays' farm system third in Major League Baseball.

   

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