Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladimir Guerrero Ramos (born March 16, 1999), known as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is a Canadian-Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).

In 2003, Vladimir Sr. received a standing ovation during his final game for the Expos at Olympic Stadium.

His teammates sent Vladimir Jr., wearing a child's Expos uniform, out onto the field to join him.

His father told him to take off his helmet and wave to the crowd, resulting in what has been called an iconic photo.

As a youth, Guerrero was trained in baseball by his uncle Wilton.

He said of Wilton "I think everything I've learned in baseball has been from him. I've been practicing with him since I was five. He's the one who taught me to practice well."

Born in Montreal, Guerrero Jr. was signed by the Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2015.

Eligible for free agency in 2015, Baseball America ranked Guerrero as the top international free agent, and MLB.com ranked him the fourth-best.

He signed with Toronto on July 2, 2015, for $3.9 million at age 16.

Guerrero was assigned to extended spring training camp to open the 2016 minor league season.

Guerrero made his professional baseball debut with the Rookie Advanced Bluefield Blue Jays on June 23.

Guerrero hit his first professional home run on June 24, a two-run shot in a 4–2 loss to the Bristol Pirates.

On August 12, Guerrero recorded his first multi-home run game, hitting two solo shots in an 18–5 win against the Pulaski Yankees.

Later in August, he was named the Appalachian League's All-Star at third base.

Guerrero played in 62 games for Bluefield in 2016, and hit .271 with eight home runs, 46 runs batted in (RBI), and 15 stolen bases.

On January 24, 2017, MLB named Guerrero the third best prospect at third base heading into the 2017 minor league season.

Guerrero opened the 2017 minor league season with the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts.

In a 6–3 win over the Great Lakes Loons on April 7, he hit his first home run of the season.

Guerrero was named a Midwest League All-Star on June 7, and on June 29, he was named to the World team roster for the 2017 All-Star Futures Game.

On July 6, the Blue Jays announced Guerrero would be promoted to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays following the All-Star Futures Game.

In a game against the Clearwater Threshers on August 31, Guerrero hit a home run to give the Blue Jays a 5–3 victory, with the win ensuring Dunedin would make the Florida State League playoffs.

Guerrero finished the 2017 regular season with a .323 batting average, 13 home runs, and 76 RBI in 119 games played.

He also walked more than he struck out, with 76 and 62 respectively, and posted a .910 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).

On September 6, Guerrero was named ESPN's Prospect of the Year.

During the offseason, he played in 26 games for the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League.

In 2018, he was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and USA Today after batting .381 with 20 home runs and 78 runs batted in (RBI) with 38 strikeouts in 95 games.

In 2021, he led the major leagues in home runs (48, tied), runs scored (123), and total bases (363).

He was voted to the AL All-Star roster in 2021, during which he was voted MVP, the youngest to do so in All-Star Game history, while also finishing second in AL MVP votes for the season.

Vladimir Guerrero Ramos Jr. is the son of baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, and a nephew of former MLB player Wilton Guerrero.

He was born in Montreal while his father was playing for the Montreal Expos and is a Canadian citizen.

His mother, Riquelma Ramos, learned to speak French while living in Montreal and later moved with him to the Dominican Republic, where Vladimir Jr. spent most of his early childhood.

His parents separated when he was very young and his mother moved to Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Guerrero would split time between Santiago with his mother, Don Gregorio with his uncle Wilton, and during the summer, in the United States with his father.

Entering the 2018 season, Guerrero was considered the top prospect in the Blue Jays organization by MLB and Baseball America.

On March 23, Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro announced that Guerrero would begin the season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Through the first month of the season, he led the Eastern League with a .398 batting average and 30 runs batted in.

On June 4, Guerrero was named the Eastern League's Player of the Month after hitting .438 with nine home runs and 28 RBI in May.

He made his major league debut in April 2019.

A right-handed batter and thrower, he is widely regarded as one of MLB's best active hitters.

He is the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero.