One of the most exciting young players in baseball is second-year Toronto Blue Jay Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – son of the Hall of Famer with the same name. Baby Vlad is going to win an MVP at some point. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Guerrero’s 2020 MLB season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. MLB Awards Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- Most home runs of any batter: Guerrero is +2000
- AL MVP Award: Guerrero is +2800
After grounding out on his first major league at-bat last April 26 following a call-up from the minors, Vlad Jr. nearly homered on his second, forcing Oakland left-fielder Chad Pinder to make a great play at the wall. His fourth plate appearance came with the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Facing a 2-2 count, the 20-year-old came up with a double down the right-field line, his first MLB hit. A few batters later, Brandon Drury hit a walk-off home run.
Casual baseball fans might not have known that much about Guerrero Jr. until last year’s Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game. At Progressive Field in Cleveland, Guerrero, one of the most-hyped prospects in recent history, hit 91 home runs in the Derby, the new mark for homers in one event.
He had the longest homer of the night, a 488-foot blast that just about touched the scoreboard in left field. In the first round, Guerrero’s 29 long balls set the record for most in a single round. He would proceed to tie that record all of 30 minutes later in the semifinal. Alas, Guerrero was a bit tired by the final and lost to Mets rookie Pete Alonso. Then 20, Guerrero was the youngest player ever to participate in the Derby.
Baby Vlad finished his rookie season with 126 hits to lead AL rookies. He also ranked T-1st in doubles (26), 3rd in walks (46), 3rd in RBI (69), T-3rd in extra-base hits (43) and T-7th in home runs (15). Among those with at least 400 plate appearances, he ranked 1st in batting average (.272), 2nd in on-base percentage (.339), 3rd in OPS (.772) and 4th in slugging (.433). Guerrero also was named AL Player of the Week on two occasions, becoming the 1st rookie in team history to do so.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded 17 RBI in a six-game span from July 27-August 2, joining Mel Ott (1929) as the only 20-year-olds in MLB history to accomplish the feat. His 69 RBI for the season were 3rd most by a rookie in franchise history and 3rd most by a Canadian-born player while with the Blue Jays (Russell Martin – 77 in 2015 and 74 in 2016).
The 2019 Blue Jays became the 1st team ever to have six different rookies record double-digit home runs, surpassing the 1958 San Francisco Giants (5). They also became the 1st team to have five grand slams from rookies in the same season (Cavan Biggio, Guerrero Jr. – 2, Rowdy Tellez – 2).
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said in the spring that Guerrero Jr. will likely be the team’s cleanup man in 2020. That’s the lineup spot that Vlad Jr. occupied down the stretch last season, after an extended stay in the No. 2 hole. Guerrero was playing well this spring with a.286/.355/.607 line in 28 at-bats to go with three homers.
Guerrero Jr. said that he feels “a lot stronger” and “lighter” following more dedicated workouts this offseason. Guerrero Jr. has battled knee issues the last two seasons, and it’s certainly possible that coming in lighter — or at least better conditioned — could help.
“Right now I feel a lot stronger,” he said. “Basically it’s my entire body. I feel a big change in me. I feel lighter and I’ll continue with that. There’s still one month to go before spring training, so I’m not done yet.” Montoyo added that Vlad Jr. “felt that he ran out of gas a little at the end in September, and he didn’t want that to happen again.”
