Jays callup Guerrero joins list of hyped international baseball prospects
Top Blue Jays prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is expected make his long awaited Major League Baseball debut when Toronto plays the Oakland Athletics on Friday at the Rogers Centre.
As one of the most hyped up-and-comers in the game, the 20-year-old third baseman joins a long list of international prospects who made their debuts under a microscope. Here is a list of some who came before, including some studs and some duds.
ICHIRO SUZUKI
Ichiro was already a superstar in his native Japan when he joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001. All eyes were on him in both North America and Japan, as at the time it was rare for an Asian position player to transition to the major-league game.