Albert Pujols offers advice to ‘phenom’ Vlad Guerrero Jr.

MLB insider Jon Morosi joins the Starting Lineup to discuss why there's a better chance the Blue Jays trade Stroman over Sanchez, and why Justin Smoak's leadership would be very valuable to surround Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the young core.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Reminders of both his age and longevity in the game came in different ways for Albert Pujols during the Los Angeles Angels’ series against the Toronto Blue Jays this week, during which he collected career RBI No. 1,998 and faced off against Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

"To say that I played with his dad and with his son that I used to see during the all-star game, running around, I’m either getting too old or he grew up too quick," laughs the future Hall of Famer.

Either way, Pujols made a point of welcoming Junior to the big-leagues, fully cognizant of what a hug by the batting cage, some words of encouragement and an introduction to Mike Trout from someone of his stature can do for a young player transitioning to the big-leagues.

The 39-year-old rhymed off names like Edgar Renteria, Placido Polanco, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Woody Williams, Darryl Kile, Mike Matheny, Fernando Vina and Mark McGwire as players who supported him as a 21-year-old rookie with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, and believes it’s his duty to pay that forward.

"Remember man, I was a young player, too, and there were so many guys that embraced me and are close friends of mine now. And I grew close with his dad. I had the opportunity to play against him and the way he’s treated me since Day 1 when I got to the big-leagues is the same way he treats me 19 years later when he comes around," says Pujols. "As a fellow Dominican, you have to kind of pass that torch and he’s going to somebody in the new generation that 10 years from now is going to be doing the same thing."

Pujols watched the circus around Guerrero with curiosity and described the attention for the 20-year-old as "well deserved" after a dominant minor-league career. One challenge for someone in his situation, he feels, is to not "get caught up in the media attention and lose that focus on what you’re supposed to do and that’s take care of your job."

"He’s a phenom, if he stays healthy he’s going to have a heck of a career, he’s a strong kid, he’s got all the tools," said Pujols. "At the end of the day, it’s making sure he stays focused on the things he needs to do for his team to win."

Guerrero is off to a 3-for-18 start through his first five games with three walks and went 0-for-6 with two walks during his two games in Anaheim. The Blue Jays gave him a rest day in Thursday’s series finale, but Pujols had still seen enough to be impressed.

"I think the plate discipline is pretty good – I think better than his dad, for sure," Pujols said with a grin. "But I think he is going to get better. I told him, ‘Hey, as soon as he gets that home run, heads up because he is going to hit many more.’ I think sometimes the tendency is you want to get that first hit, you want to get that first home run, like, ‘Ah, yeah, here we go, I belong here.’ I just told him he belongs here. He has the tools to play with anybody."

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Moving On Up
The Blue Jays promoted Nate Pearson, their top pitching prospect, and catcher Riley Adams to double-A New Hampshire after both enjoyed strong starts at single-A Dunedin.

Pearson’s trajectory is particularly intriguing given that he missed most of last season with a fractured forearm. That’s slowed development of the physical base needed to carry a heavy workload, although his triple-digit velocity gives the 2017 first-rounder the chance to move through the system very quickly.

Through six starts in Dunedin, Pearson struck out 35 batters in 21 innings, allowing just 10 hits and three walks.

Adams, a third-round pick in 2017, batted .277/.434/.462 in 19 games before moving up.

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