Vladimir Guerrero Jr. surpasses his father’s MVP start to the season

In the midst of the best season of his career, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is accomplishing an unprecedented feat in Major League Baseball history, surpassing the MVP season of his father, a member of the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.
The history of Major League Baseball is full of feats, records and unprecedented moments that have featured the more than twenty thousand players who have ever suited up to represent one of the franchises that have made up the world’s most important professional baseball league.

However, there are accomplishments that have yet to be seen, such as a player who is the son of a Cooperstown Hall of Famer having a better career than his father. Obviously, many variables come into play for such a feat to occur, but for now, another related situation that has never been seen before is being played out by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladimir Guerrero (Sr.) was one of the best hitters to ever step foot in MLB. His unorthodox way of taking turns at bat, his way of swinging the ball and all the peculiarities that made him a great hitter, allowed him to win the award as Most Valuable Player of the American League in 2004, with the Anaheim Angels (now Los Angeles Angels).

Guerrero had an excellent offensive season in which he finished as the American League’s leader in runs scored and total bases, won a Silver Slugger, concluding his year with a .337 batting average, .391 on-base percentage (OBP) and .598 slugging percentage (SLG), which translated into an OPS of .989. He hit 39 homers and drove in a total of 126 runs.

Those numbers marked one of the best statistical years of Vladimir Guerrero’s career and his son is surpassing what his father did to start 2021.

Through his first 49 games of the season (in what is proving to be the best statistical season of his career), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exceeds his father (in the same amount of games) in almost every offensive department during his MVP year.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads MLB in home runs (16), total bases (117), OPS+ (204) and OPS (1.104), while leading the American League in on-base percentage (OBP) with .443. In addition, he has 41 RBI and 28 runs scored.

In all of the aforementioned departments, the starter outperforms the Hall of Famer, who in 49 games had 12 home runs, 38 RBI, a .397 OBP, a .601 SLG and a .998 OPS.

In the only offensive departments where the father has the advantage over the Toronto Blue Jays player in the first 49 games is in batting average, where “Vlady Jr.” has a .333, compared to his father’s .348 in the same stretch, but in 2004, and in runs scored (45).

Guerrero Jr. has a long way to go to surpass what his father did in 2004, but there can be no doubt that at least in the first two months of the season, he is on a very good path.