Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladimir Guerrero Ramos Jr. (born March 16, 1999) is a Canadian-Dominican professional baseball first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the son of former MLB player and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and 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. Born in Montreal, Guerrero Jr. was signed by the Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2015. 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. Early life 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. 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.