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DUNEDIN, Fla. — He is universally proclaimed as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball and one destined to follow along the path of his Hall of Fame father.

So, is Vlad Guerrero Jr. ready for the big leagues?

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“We’ll see how spring training progresses,” was Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins’ half-cautious, half-insulting response as camp opened for real on Thursday morning at Dunedin Stadium. “Spring training is a piece of his development.

“There’s no firm timeline on when he arrives and when he plays in Toronto for the first time, but we want to make sure he’s the best possible third baseman and the best possible hitter he can be. This is going to be a fun and exciting time for him and a fun and exciting time for the organization.”

In other words, the Jays have zero intention of having the soon-to-be 20-year-old future star in the lineup on opening day. The priority clearly remains to manipulate Guerrero’s service time so that they have him under control for as long as seven seasons, meaning a mid-April debut is the most likely scenario.