TORONTO – By Wednesday evening, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will likely have played three days in a row for the first time this season.
If all goes well over the course of those next two games, they could be his last at triple-A, setting up an MLB debut at home against the Oakland Athletics this weekend. While weather or injury setbacks could always conspire to delay Guerrero Jr.’s arrival further, a Friday debut sure seems possible.
Among those hoping to see Guerrero Jr. in Toronto this weekend: Kendrys Morales, Oakland’s designated hitter who played with Vladimir Guerrero Sr. in Anaheim before mentoring his 20-year-old son in Blue Jays camp this spring.
"I expect a lot of great things from him in his career," Kendrys Morales said through A’s director of communications Fernando Alcalá in Oakland over the weekend.
"He’s had a lot of success and he’s just got to do it at the major-league level. The biggest thing for him is getting used to a major-league life and not worrying about all of those other things – what people are saying about him or anything that’s outside of his control. If he focused on the mental aspect of the game and focuses on what he has to get done, he’ll reach his potential."
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While there’s no denying Guerrero Jr.’s offensive ability, Blue Jays front office executives have said at times over the last year that they want the top prospect to improve his routines before and after games. The way the Blue Jays see it, if Guerrero Jr. refines his preparation and recovery, he’ll contribute more in all facets of the game.
So far, general manager Ross Atkins has been encouraged. He recently said Guerrero Jr.’s routines have improved “drastically” over the last few months, and the top prospect’s in better shape now than he was in spring training.
Even so, major-league players face challenges that minor-leaguers don’t. They travel more, have more demands on their time and face more distractions. But from what Morales has seen, Guerrero Jr. will adjust quickly.
"I don’t think it’ll take him too long," Morales said. "For somebody that’s got that much talent I think it’s just going to take a little time to get up to the major leagues, see and experience the things that he doesn’t know yet and be able to take that in. Once he gets up here and experiences some things he hasn’t in the past, that’ll set the foundation and allow the potential that he has inside of him to come out."
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While Guerrero Jr.’s ascent through the minors has been swift, others stumble on the way up. After an impressive rookie season in Toronto, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was demoted to triple-A when he had trouble making routine throws from second to first, an issue the Blue Jays describe as more mental than physical. For now, Gurriel Jr. will DH in Buffalo, but there will be a spot for him on the field when he’s ready to play defence. In the meantime, Morales has been texting with his fellow Cuban to encourage him.
"The biggest thing for him is just regaining that confidence in throwing," Morales said. "He’s a guy that has a lot of talent and he’s going to be fine as long as he gets out there and does the repetitions and practises throwing. Once he gets his confidence back, he’ll be fine."
Looking back at his two-plus seasons in Toronto, it’s relationships with the likes of Gurriel Jr. and Guerrero Jr. that stand out the most for Morales – "easily the most important thing." As such, getting traded from Toronto to Oakland on the eve of the season was tough.
"It was obviously a little challenging to have it be just before the start of the season," Morales said. "I was already established there and my family was there so I had to change that."
Thankfully for Morales, he knows people in every big-league city after 13 years at the MLB level. As he says, "the baseball’s the same wherever you go."
