Major League Baseball's top prospect will make his long-awaited debut Friday night at the Rogers Centre as Toronto takes on the Oakland Athletics.
The hype machine found another gear once confirmation arrived. Social media went into overdrive and radio shows devoted hours to the subject. "We're hopeful that Vlad is going to make a lasting impact on the team and that his presence is going to help create special memories for fans at Rogers Centre," said Andrew Miller, the team's executive vice-president of business operations. "So it's been an exciting 24 hours."
"He doesn't swing at many pitches and he makes pitchers work," Bisons broadcaster Pat Malacaro said from Syracuse, N.Y. "Usually, it's the pitcher working over the batter. In Vladdy's case, it's the batter working over the pitcher." "A lot of guys were in awe," Malacaro said. "Last year, we saw that guys didn't want to challenge him at the plate. They didn't want to throw him good pitches because they didn't want to be the guy who gave up a 500-foot home run to Vladdy. This year, the opposing teams challenged him and we saw it three times."
"Vladimir Guerrero Junior is one of those gifted noisemakers," Carter said in the video. "A one-man percussion band in spikes. Just 20 years old, he ranks with Ken Griffey Junior, Alex Rodriguez and Bryce Harper, among the most anticipated rookie hitters in the past four decades."There will be growing pains along the way. Guerrero, who turned 20 last month, has strides to make with his defensive play at third base and his speed could be improved.
Over hyped