Blue Jays superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. is carrying on a legacy. And he knows what it would mean for his family if he becomes a World Series champion.
The son of Hall of a Famer, the younger Vladdy wants to uphold his family name while carving out his own path to greatness. And it isn’t surprising to hear that it was his father – along with his uncle and former MLB player Wilton Guerrero – were instrumental in helping him hone his baseball skills as a kid.
“[My uncle] I always thought I can be better than my dad,” Vladdy Jr. told MLB on FOX’s David “Big Papi” Ortiz. “But for me, being better than my dad is not easy. He’s in the Hall of Fame. »
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Vladdy has been around baseball royalty since he was a kid. You saw the image of him as a little boy wearing an Expos uniform and playing catch with his dad. You’ve seen photos of him as a kid, hanging out with legends like Ortiz and Pedro Martinez.
But if there’s one thing that really motivates him, it’s winning the World Series ring that eluded his father.
“When they compare me to my dad, I’m not even close yet. I just play my game and try to give everything I have to the team,” Vladdy Jr. said. “He played 16 years in the major leagues, never won one. He showed me how to play, he showed me how to respect the game. Play hard, be humble.
And another thing motivating the superstar to help Toronto win its first World Series since 1993? A team that Ortiz knows extremely well.
“It’s like the Boston Red Sox in 2004. We believe in each other, everyone knows what they have to do to win the game. … Everyone here is like family. To be in this position right now is incredible.”
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