Vlad Jr. named MLB's top prospect
Toronto Blue Jays phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been ranked the top prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline.
No shock here.
— MLB (@MLB) January 27, 2019
#VladJr is MLB’s top prospect. pic.twitter.com/VKek3RhR1S
Guerrero Jr., the son of Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, opened 2018 as the No. 3-ranked prospect and went on to finish the season atop MLB Pipeline's list following his stellar campaign in the minors. After hitting an incredible .402 in 266 plate appearances at Double-A New Hampshire, the Blue Jays promoted him to Triple-A Buffalo where he continued to wreak havoc on opposing pitching.
All told, the third baseman hit .381/.437/.636 with 20 homers, 29 doubles, 78 RBIs, and 37 walks across four minor-league levels last year, despite a midseason knee injury that limited him to just 95 games.
The 19-year-old was invited to the Blue Jays' big-league camp on Saturday. He's expected to make his major-league debut at some point this season.
Here's a look at MLB Pipeline's top 10 prospects for the 2019 season:
| Rk. | Player | Pos. | Team | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 3B | Blue Jays | 19 |
| 2 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | SS | Padres | 20 |
| 3 | Eloy Jimenez | OF | White Sox | 22 |
| 4 | Victor Robles* | OF | Nationals | 21 |
| 5 | Royce Lewis | SS | Twins | 19 |
| 6 | Nick Senzel | 3B/2B/OF | Reds | 23 |
| 7 | Forrest Whitley | RHP | Astros | 21 |
| 8 | Kyle Tucker* | OF | Astros | 22 |
| 9 | Alex Kirilloff | OF | Twins | 21 |
| 10 | Brendan Rogers | IF | Rockies | 22 |
* indicates player has already made MLB debut
All 30 teams have at least one farmhand ranked among MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects. The San Diego Padres' 10 top-100 prospects are the most of any team, while four clubs - the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, and Milwaukee Brewers - each have just one player on the list.