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Guerrero's super AFL stint ends a bit early

Baseball's top prospect departs league to deal with family matter
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. batted 351/.409/.442 as the youngest player in the Arizona Fall League. (Freek Bouw/Phrake Photography)
November 12, 2018

The Arizona Fall League wraps up Saturday with the Championship Game. For the top prospect in baseball, it ended Monday.Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays' stud third baseman, is leaving the elite circuit to deal with a family matter, MLB Pipeline reported Monday.

The Arizona Fall League wraps up Saturday with the Championship Game. For the top prospect in baseball, it ended Monday.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays' stud third baseman, is leaving the elite circuit to deal with a family matter, MLB Pipeline reported Monday.

The 19-year-old put together a .351/.409/.442 slash line as the youngest player in the AFL. He was named the league's Player of the Week on Oct. 16 and doubled, walked and scored a run in the Fall Stars Game on Nov. 3.

Guerrero, who missed six weeks of the season because of a strained patellar tendon, batted .381/.437/.636 and picked up the MiLBY as the Top Offensive Player in the Minors.
Climbing from Double-A to Triple-A at age 19, Guerrero belted 20 homers and collected 78 RBIs while posting a .438 on-base percentage -- third among full-season players.
"Even before meeting him, talking to every coach I knew and met in the organization… all the things they threw around about him, they were all very lofty," New Hampshire hitting coach Hunter Mense told MiLB.com last month. "'He's going to be as good as his dad.' 'He's going to do this, do that.' Any time you hear things like that, you go, 'OK, this guy already has a lot to live up to.'"

Vince Lara-Cinisomo is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincelara.