Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been around baseball his whole life, so he’s had some pretty good influences throughout his journey into Major League Baseball.
Of course, he’s the son of Hall-of-Famer Vladimir Guerrero, who spent 16 years in the MLB, and already has grabbed the attention of Toronto Blue Jays fans and other baseball fans around the world.
But aside from his father, Guerrero Jr. had another well-known person to talk to growing up.
Enter: David Ortiz.
The 20-year-old recently revealed to the Eagle Tribune’s Chris Mason the two have “a great relationship” and still talk regularly.
“We have a great relationship,” Guerrero said. “Actually, this morning I spoke with David and there’s a chance that (Saturday) I’ll go to see him. … He sounds very good. He feels very well right now.”
Ortiz has been recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston since June 10 after being shot in his native Dominican Republic on June 9. He was moved from ICU on Saturday.
Guerrero Jr. also noted the 43-year-old legend offered him some advice in order to make it — and stay — in the bigs.
“He basically gave me the same advice that my dad always gave me,” Guerrero said, per Mason. “Keep working very hard every day. It’s not (just) to make it to the big leagues, it’s keep working hard to stay in the big leagues.”
It’s certainly nice to see Ortiz having an influence on players well after his retirement.
