Post-hype sleepers: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ready to become star in second season

Due to the influence of social media, the prospect hype train races at a furious pace these days. Youngsters are touted and re-touted long before they arrive to the Majors, and those who do not experience immediate success are cast aside just as quickly as they were discovered.

But those of us who have played fantasy baseball for a while know that sometimes top players take an uneven path towards stardom. Here is a handful of post-hype sleepers who could soon rebound from a brief downturn.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3B), Toronto Blue Jays

That’s right, I’m already branding Guerrero as a post-hype sleeper for 2020. Fantasy managers were expecting instant stardom for this touted prospect and instead received unremarkable numbers (.272 average, 15 homers) across 123 games. The advanced stats suggest that Guerrero may take the slow path to stardom, but prospects of this ilk can take off at a moment’s notice and it would not be shocking to see Guerrero hit .300 with 30 homers this year.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Post-Hype Sleepers never sold well as a recording act in the United States, but the Northern Soul circuit loved their releases.

Jays’ Guerrero Jr. feeling strong after offseason workouts

TORONTO (AP) — After a winter of workouts more intense than any he’d experienced before, Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is feeling strong.

The Blue Jays laid out a detailed offseason plan for their star third baseman, asking him to drop weight and boost endurance, increasing his resistance to baseball’s inevitable wear and tear.

Less than one month before spring training, Guerrero spoke positively about the team-designed workout plan he’s been following.

“I feel a lot better and it’s been working well for me,” Guerrero said through a translator. “I feel a big change in me. I feel lighter.

Well, we’d kind of hope so, as the alternative isn’t very promising in the slightest.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. ‘pushing himself hard’ during offseason workouts

Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro told Toronto’s 590 The Fan this morning that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. “couldn’t be pushing himself harder” in offseason workouts. He’s apparently trying to trim down and strengthen that large-ish frame of his.

Touted as the top prospect in baseball, Guerrero hit .272/.339/.433 with 15 home runs and 69 RBI over his first 123 major league games and played a less-than-great third base. He’s obviously super talented and one strongly suspects that, even if he did not do anything to get in better shape, he’ll be an excellent hitter in the big leagues for a long time. His track record in the minors speaks for itself.

Still, baseball history is loaded with would-be studs who petered out early or never panned out entirely due to poor conditioning or what have you. Sounds like Vlad is determined not to have that happen to him, and that’s a good thing.