Vladimir Guerrero Jr. perhaps is among the biggest prospects to make their Major League debut over the last decade.
Guerrero’s name and skill set have him on the fast track to super stardom as he has taken the Toronto Blue Jays and Major League Baseball by storm since he was called up last week. And the hype surrounding him has been generating for years as he tore his way through the minor leagues.
The Blue Jays hope that in Guerrero Jr. they have a franchise cornerstone that will ring in a new era of baseball north of the border, wining some awards and breaking club records in the process.
And the first record Guerrero Jr. is tasked with is becoming the youngest Blue Jay to hit his first career home run.
The current record holder? Danny Ainge. Yes, that Danny Ainge.
Guerrero has 32 days to eclipse Ainge’s mark, so it’s likely the 60-year-old will lose claim to the record he’s held since 1979. Ainge was a 15th round selection by the Blue Jays in 1977, and his first home run might be his biggest claim to fame in baseball. He hit two home runs in ’79 as a rookie, batting .237 over 308 at-bats. Those are the only two home runs the infielder would hit.
Ainge left baseball after the 1981 season, entering in the NBA draft, where the Celtics took him in the second round to kick-start a 15-year playing career in the Association.
We think he ended up in the right place.
