After some speculation on whether Blue Jays rookie phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would participate in this year’s Home Run Derby in Cleveland, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet has confirmed that the 20-year-old slugger has indeed agreed to participate.
Guerrero, the top prospect in baseball at the time he came up, has gotten off to just an okay start in his first 45 Major League games. He’s hitting .249/.319/.426 with a 99 wRC+, good for 0.3 fWAR.
Still, the young talent and son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. is known for his scintillating exit velocities and powerful swing, and should be fun to watch in the Derby. This year’s Derby comes at higher stakes than in years passed, as the winner will now receive a $1 million prize.
The rest of the contestants have yet to be officially announced, although there is a strong chance that the Mets’ own rookie phenom, Pete Alonso, will be asked to participate as well.
