First: He’s Here
He’s arrived. The most highly touted prospect since the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Bryce Harper with an even better pedigree is making his debut Friday for the Toronto Blue Jays. Let’s get hyped.
The time is now, Vlad Jr. is coming.
Watch his debut tomorrow night on MLB Network!
🎶 “6 God” by @Drake pic.twitter.com/eACgEWRFdz
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 25, 2019
Goosebumps. Vlad Jr. hit .331 in his minor league career and was on another planet by any metric you want to compare him by. His elite bat will make an impact from day one and will be the corner stone of the franchise if things break right.
So, what does this mean? Vlad had to get over a small leg injury to start the season, so his AL Rookie Of The Year odds dropped a bit to +120/+150 depending on your book, but with the news of his call up, he’s now currently -150 at The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
The AL, unlike the NL, is wide open as Eloy Jimenez had underwhelmed a bit, and the current favorite, Daniel Vogelbach isn’t going to be able to keep up his pace in my estimation. Vlad also has the hype, which we saw last season with Acuna, although in the National League. Vlad’s the guy.
My son! The country that saw you as a child will now see you turn into a big one.
Working hard everything can be done. I’m proud of you!
Love you! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WJyLBVKWoR
— Vladimir Guerrero (@VladGuerrero27) April 25, 2019
I’m not crying, you’re crying.
To: The Kids Are Coming, Mize Promoted to AA
While all of the talk is on Vlad Jr, 2018 number one overall pick Detroit Tigers RHP Casey Mize will make his next start for Double-A Erie. Mize finished up his A ball career with eight scoreless innings, striking out four. I watched the start, he made it look easy.
Mize has been compared to a young Justin Verlander although he is even better built with a bit more weight than the lanky frame of Verlander. What’s interesting is that the Double A rotation of Erie now features the best cumulative prospects in the minors:
*
I don’t know if you can bet on a Double A team to win their championship, but I’d get down.
Third: Peter Alonso Is Everything I thought
You all know how Joey Gallo will always hold a special place in my heart for one of my largest wagers ever last season being that Gallo would hit over 35.5 home runs. Mets rookie 1B Peter Alonso, I believe, has more power and can hit for a better average than Gallo. Don’t believe me?
What’s your biggest bold prediction for the 2019 #MLB season?
Mine: Peter Alonso hits 30 home runs as a rookie.
— Christian Pina (@ChristianPina) March 28, 2019
He’s well on his way, hitting eight home runs before the first month of the season is over.
That’s not all, as he also leads the Mets in slugging, wRC, and slugging %. Alonso’s sabermetric stats all check out as well, which shows it’s not a fluke.
The Mets didn’t let him waste away in the minors for service time, and he’s paying off for them. The National League Rookie Of The Year is a very tight race, with Alonso +250 fighting off co-favorite Chris Paddack (+250) and has Fernando Tatis Jr (+300), Victor Robles (+500), and Alex Verdugo (+600) nipping at his heels. I’d take a play on Paddack and Alonso together at that price, and let one pay for the other while securing a 1.50 profit.
