2020 Fantasy Baseball Candidate: Vlad Guerrero Jr.

Blue Jays third baseman Vlad Guerrero has potential to win a lot of fantasy baseball players their championship in 2020.

Picking Toronto third baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr. in fantasy baseball drafts is a shrewd move according to Sports Illustrated’s fantasy baseball analyst Shawn Childs. According to Childs the Blue Jays power-hitter is a breakout candidate in 2020. Childs had this to say about drafting Guerrero:

“Bet on the come here, as high-average power is always an excellent starting place to build a winning fantasy team. A future first-round fantasy player with a fifth-round price point in the 2020 draft season."

Childs joined fellow SI fantasy baseball analyst Jaime Eisner and Bill Enright to discuss Guerrero’s fantasy outlook for the 2020 season.

Read the full transcript from the interview below. 

Bill Enright: Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr. could be one of those players that helps a lot of fantasy baseball managers win their league in 2020. Let's find out what our fantasy baseball analysts have to say about the Toronto player. Let's go to Shawn Childs and Jamie Eisner. Shawn, I will start with you. Give me a breakdown of Vlad Guerrero Jr.

Shawn Childs: He's an interesting player because it's kind of a coin toss. He struggled against lefties last year. His hard-hit rate was about league average. He didn't hit enough home runs, hits too many ground balls. But when you look at talent, you know he's explosive. So when you're building a fantasy team, especially in the high stakes market, he's probably the fifth player you're gonna draft this year, which has the potential to be your top player. And so when you're building your team, you have to decide, is this guy gonna be able to hit well over 300 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI, obviously if he played a full season. And I think he has that kind of talent. So he's discounted for me. He's a guy that's gonna be drafted a lot earlier in future seasons. So he's the type of player you want to bet on the come. And he's kind of a difference-maker. And I kind of believe in him. I liked what was going on in spring training. And I think he's really going to, you know, press forward, especially with Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio hitting in front of him. I think he's going to have a lot of RBI chances. So I'm very attracted to him this year, especially on a sliding price point. 

Bill Enright: Jamie, he currently has an ADP—average draft position—of about the 60th player coming off the board. What do you think about the price you have to pay for Guerrero Jr.? 

Jamie Eisner: It's still a little bit too high for me in redraft leagues, it depends on how much upside you want to bet on. I mean, a couple years ago, and even going back to three years, put up just absolutely elite Minor League numbers that would make any of the top players blush. But he had some struggles last year. Injuries were a big concern. As Shawn mentioned, the ground balls were a big concern. I still think he has a lot of upside. I had him projected at about 27 home runs, 90 RBIs, 82 runs, but he doesn't steal a bunch, which is gonna be a factor in fantasy baseball. I have him slightly below 300 this year at 295. I still think he's a great player. He's probably a top 75 player, but not somebody I'm taking in the top 60.

Bill Enright: Plenty more fantasy baseball analysis. We're going player by player. You can find more of it by going to SI.com/fantasy.

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