Blue Jays rookie third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. entered Tuesday night's game against the Giants (GameTracker) with a 2019 slash line of .191/.283/.234 and just two extra-base hits -- both doubles -- in 13 games. He's been hitting the ball hard at times -- he is, after all, the top prospect in baseball -- but Guerrero Jr. hasn't been able to elevate all that much just yet.
Well, that changed in the first inning against "opener" Nick Vincent:
That one left the bat at 111 mph and traveled 438 feet. At age 20 years and 59 days, Guerrero becomes the youngest Blue Jay ever to hit a home run. Speaking of which:
Youngest @BlueJays player to homer before Vlad Jr?@Celtics General Manager, Danny Ainge (1979). pic.twitter.com/DymPMYLVbf
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 15, 2019
Vladito was far from done after that first home run. After ripping a single in his second at-bat and drawing a walk in his third at-bat, Guerrero went deep again in his fourth at-bat. He clubbed a three-run home run to center field against reliever Reyes Moronta.
This homer made his first homer look like, well, child's play:
That one traveled 451 feet and left Guerrero's bat at 113.7 mph. Goodness. Vlad Jr. is the youngest right-handed hitter with three hits in a game since Mike Trout in 2011. (Lefty hitters Juan Soto and Bryce Harper both had multiple three-hit games at a younger age than Guerrero.)
After that sluggish start to his big league career, it sure seems like the floodgates are open. Vlad Jr. is about to terrorize the rest of MLB.