The day is finally here. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be making his major league debut tonight in what is the most anticipated major league debut in the past little bit. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished his minor league career with a slash line of .331/.413/.531 and also got more walks (150) than strikeouts (139). Last season in AA, he batted .402 in 61 games and finished the 2018 season with an absolute ridiculous .381/.437/.636 which garnered him Minor League player of the year. Now, with Vladdy Jr. done in the minors, here are some prospects that could receive a lot of hype before their major league debut.
Bo Bichette - SS Toronto Blue Jays
Bichette just recently broke his hand due to a hit by a pitch which could very well delay his debut until next season but he will still receive a ton of hype ahead of his debut. Over all levels of the minors, Bichette has slashed .325/.382/.516 with 60 stolen bases.
Wander Franco- 3B Tampa Bay Rays
Franco is only 18 years old and has absolutely raked in the minors. Currently in single-A, Franco has slashed .347/.418/.594 over his brief minor league career and has more walks (38) than strikeouts (26).
MacKenzie Gore- P San Diego Padres
Drafted third overall in the 2017 draft, Gore has shown all the reasons why he deserved to be a top pick. At just the age of 20 and at the A Advanced level, over his minor league career, Gore has a 3.12 E.R.A. with 135 strikeouts compared to 87 hits given up. This season, he's been off to a blistering start as he has struck out 27 batters with an opponent average of .162 and a E.R.A. of 1.23.
Casey Mize- P Detroit Tigers
After going undrafted in high school, Mize went to be the first overall pick in last years draft. Despite the fact that he's only made nine starts, he has been magnificent as he's got a 1.59 E.R.A. with an opponent average of .152.
Brendan McKay- P/DH Tampa Bay Rays
When McKay reaches the majors, all eyes will be on him for a while to see how being a two-way player works out in the MLB. On the mound, he's done fairly well as he holds a 2.41 E.R.A. in the minors with 151 strikeouts and an opponent average of .188. At the plate, it's been a different story as he's struggled to a slash line of .219/.353/.351 but the Rays still plan on developing him as a two-way player. As he's only in Double-A, he still has some developing to do before he reaches the majors.
Hunter Greene- P Cincinnati Reds
Despite being drafted as a two-way player, Greene has now focused solely on pitching. Currently sidelined recovering from Tommy John surgery, Greene's pitching stats in the minors (4.95 E.R.A., 2.61 opp avg) aren't great but that could be blamed on his arm that was most likely bothering him and the fact that he wasn't able to focus strictly on one position. On the bright side, Greene has 95 strikeouts over 72 2/3 innings pitched and has been compared to Mets fireballer Noah Syndergaard.
Nolan Gorman- 3B St.Louis Cardinals
Gorman may be one of the best high school bats to ever be drafted. In his brief minor league career, Gorman has slashed .297/.379/.574 with 21 HR in which 17 of those came in his first year of professional baseball. To show how special of a player he is, Gorman is only 18 years old and went deep in a major league spring training game.
Jarred Kelenic- OF Seattle Mariners
Kelenic was drafted sixth overall by the Mets in last year's draft but was ultimately shipped to the Mariners as part of the Cano/Diaz blockbuster deal. Currently playing single-A, Kelenic has slashed .296/.387/.467 in his minor league career. He still has ways to go before he reaches the majors but will be a special player once he's up there.
Nate Pearson- P Toronto Blue Jays
The 6'6 Pearson can touch 102 MPH with his fastball and has overpowering stuff that can make him a successful big league starter. So far in the minors, he's only pitched 40 2/3 innings but the results have been great as he has a 1.33 E.R.A., 57 strikeouts compared to 22 hits given up and has only walked seven batters.