Four reasons now is the time to collect Vlad Guerrero Jr.
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Apart from collectors north of the border, the Hobby has largely slept on one of the game's great superstars, Vlad Guerrero, Jr., of the Toronto Blue Jays. It's not that collectors don't realize Guerrero is a stud. It's just hard to focus on Vlad when the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Paul Skenes are vying for the same spotlight. Still, there are at least five reasons to start collecting Vlad.
Cooperstown Case
Guerrero is a five-time American League All-Star, a Gold Glover, and a two-time Silver Slugger. Add to that an All-Star Game MVP and a career WAR of 25.8. That wouldn't present much of a Cooperstown case were Guerrero on his way out, but here's the thing. He's only 26 years old. While the Jays first baseman is currently 52nd among active players in lifetime home runs, every single player above him is older. Similarly, Guerrero is 51as among active position players in WAR but again he is younger than every player above him, even Juan Soto.
Face of the Franchise
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There's no question that Vlad is the face of the Toronto Blue Jays franchise today, but he also has a shot at being the face of the franchise historically. In other words, Guerrero may someday assume the exalted moniker of Mr. Blue Jay. That's no small feat for a team embarking on its 50th season next year. Though the Toronto franchise has seen its share of great players and even some Hall of Famers, every one of them played for other franchises as well. Were Guerrero to retire tomorrow, he would already be (by far!) the top Blue Jays-only player in baseball history, even if Trey Yesavage is gaining fast.
Hall of Fame First
Most baseball fans know that Guerrero is the son of a Hall of Famer, the great Vlad Guerrero, Sr. What they may not know is that a plaque for Junior would mark the first time father and son ballplayers had plaques together. At the moment, there is only a single father-son pair in the Hall, but they fall into a category of near-zero interest to card collectors. They are executives Larry and Lee McPhail.
Postseason Hero
Whatever a player does from April to September, all successes and failures are magnified in October. Though the Jays have been firing on all cylinders this October, there's no question that Vlad Guerrero, Jr., is the engine that makes it all go. There's no way to know just how far Vlad and company will go this postseason, but this is a very scary team for whom the sky's the limit. Provided Toronto can punch a ticket to the World Series with Guerrero as their marquee player, an awful lot of eyeballs will be on Vlad.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.