Bob McManaman

azcentral sports

The resemblance is almost scary.

“Yeah, he looks just like him, doesn’t he?” Diamondbacks General Manager Dave Stewart said, nodding his head.

It goes beyond the looks and the identical 6-foot-3, small-waist and wide-shouldered frame. Gabriel Guerrero, the new 22-year-old outfielder in the Diamondbacks organization, walks, talks, swings and has the same cannon for an arm as his famous uncle, former major-league slugger Vladimir Guerrero, who is nearly 20 years his elder.

Just like his uncle, he doesn’t use batting gloves and he’s never seen a pitch he didn’t like.

“Jesus,” Stewart said. “He is just like his uncle. I mean, he is full of tools. The biggest disappointment is he’s not 24 years old yet, because this kid is full of tools. He can run, he can throw – he might be our best defensive arm, organizationally – and so we’re just waiting for him to mature and get into the business.

“I’m telling you, that kid has a chance to make a big impact at the major-league level.”

Stewart is so enamored with the young Dominican that he takes it a step further, saying this: “Jesus, you’ve got to see him play. Man, he’s got a chance to have a big impact. I don’t know if I would have made that trade if he wasn’t in it.”

MORE: Download the D-Backs XTRA app iOS | Android

Guerrero was part of the six-player trade Stewart and the Diamondbacks made last June with the Mariners, shipping Mark Trumbo and pitcher Vidal Nuno to Seattle for catcher Welington Castillo, pitcher Dominic Leone and two minor-league prospects, Jack Reinheimer and Guerrero.

Arizona’s outfield is crowded with designated starters from left to right, Yasmany Tomas, A.J. Pollock and David Peralta, plus a fourth who likely will be someone besides Guerrero.

And yet Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale won’t discount Guerrero from breaking camp as a member of the team’s Opening Day, 25-man roster. When asked where Guerrero might start the season after splitting last year in two Double-A cities, Hale left the door open.

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” he said. “Extended (spring training) and then Double-A, maybe? Who knows? I hate to say anybody doesn’t have a chance to make the team. I mean, that’s not fair to them, right?”

FIND A GAME: Daily schedule for spring training games in Arizona

Exactly. Especially if he keeps turning heads in camp like Guerrero is every day, even if it’s mostly because he walks, talks, swings and has the same cannon of an arm as his famous uncle, Vlad, the nine-time All Star, eight-time Silver Slugger and 2004 American League Most Valuable Player with the Angels.

“Yeah, he’s an interesting one. We’re excited to see him in camp,” Hale said. “I heard a lot about him from the Double-A manager and coaches and talking to friends of mine who were in the Seattle organization. I think he was the youngest player in the Southern League. His numbers weren't eye-popping, but you look at him, you watch him hit, you watch him throw and he looks just like his uncle.

“And obviously, that’s hard to live up to, but he looks like he has a calm about him. I don’t think a whole lot of things awe him. So I’m excited to watch him play.”

Told of all of the above comments, Guerrero, also known as “Gabby,” grins as they are repeated to him through translator Ariel Prieto, a Diamondbacks coach and former big-league pitcher.

“I feel really happy and I think it’s really important that they’re believing in me and are ready to give me an opportunity right now,” Guerrero said.

Asked about his uncanny resemblance to his uncle, Guerrero says, “Yes, a lot of people tell me the same thing almost every single day.”

MORE:Greinke will lend hand to Diamondbacks scouts

He isn’t trying to copy-cat Vlad, however. His mannerisms aren’t forced or fake.

“It’s natural,” Gabby said. “It’s the way I do things all the time. That’s me.”

But Guerrero can’t help it. He learned everything about baseball from Vlad and still receives instruction from his uncle, who is in the Valley serving as a spring training instructor with the Angels.

“To be honest with you, he’s always been like my father,” Gabby said. “We’ve always had a good bond like a father and son. My dad taught me a lot about life, about how I’m running my life. With Vladimir, it’s more about baseball."

Guerrero’s path to the majors might be a tad trickier than that of his cousin, Vladimir Jr., who is Vlad Guerrero’s son. Vlad Jr. was the No. 1 International prospect who signed this past year with the Blue Jays and by most accounts, he has a ticket waiting for him to the show.

Gabby showed flashes in 2015, but struggled at the plate. He hit just .220 with a .258 on-base percentage and struck out 108 times in 460 combined at-bats. Defensively, he showed great range and the ability to throw out runners trying to take an extra base.

“Yes, I feel very happy about my arm in right field,” he said. “I can say that comes from my family. That comes from Vladimir.

“I’m working hard on my game to get better. I learned a lot when I was in the Fall League and I worked very hard in the Dominican to have a good year. I’m going to give it 100 percent in the field for the rest of spring training and however long I’m going to be here and they (the Diamondbacks) are going to make the decision on what happens next. I have no control over that.”

Stewart was asked if Gabby might have been trying too hard to be like his uncle

"I think that he’s just young. He’s young and he’s learning how to play the game,” Stewart said. “He’s learning the strike zone. He’s learning how to be a professional hitter. He’s just young. I don’t think he’s trying to be anything but himself.”

Actually, Gabby Guerrero said he wants to be exactly like Vladimir.

“He had a great career in the big leagues and I want to be like him,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to try to do. That’s what I’m working for. That’s why I’m here.”