Vlad Jr. impresses with 4 hits in spring debut

In the first Grapefruit League game of his young career, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came just as advertised, going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium and giving the Toronto Blue Jays another glimpse into the bright future that lies ahead.

To manager John Gibbons, however, it felt like deja vu.

"He's looks just like his daddy," Gibbons told ESPN's Eddie Matz following his club's 9-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. "Lots of similar mannerisms, and today, very similar results."

A consensus top-five prospect lauded for his big-time power and advanced hit tool, Guerrero Jr. - whose father will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer - started at DH on Thursday and connected for four singles in five trips, failing to reach base only in his fourth-inning at-bat against veteran reliever Darren O'Day, who got him to fly out to center field. (Not to be outdone, Bo Bichette - the Blue Jays' second-best prospect, and another legacy, to boot - also impressed in his first-ever Grapefruit League contest, entering as pinch-runner in the third inning Thursday and going 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored while also driving in a pair.)

"We know they're good, and the baseball world knows they're good, and they go out there and produce in their first day," Gibbons told MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. "They've got to feel really good. For our fans and our organization, it's exciting. They finally get to see them play. It just seems like a lot of life on the field."

From the looks of it, it was also exciting for the elder Guerrero, who took to Twitter to boast about his boy's big day.

Guerrero Jr. and Bichette, neither of whom were invited to big-league camp this spring, are expected to begin the season either at High-A Dunedin or Double-A New Hampshire.