Vladimir Guerrero thrilled fans in Montreal, Los Angeles, Texas and Baltimore with his impressive talent during a 16-year Hall of Fame career.
Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero was a free-swinging slugger who stole 40 bases in his prime and had a rifle for an arm. His raw physical ability was impressive, as was the joy with which he played the game. He was well-known as a fixture on the Montreal Expos from 1996 to 2003, then played seven years with the Angels and one season each with the Rangers and Orioles.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Guerrero regularly played baseball with older boys in the area and more than held his own. One of the older boys was his brother, Wilton, who many considered the best player anyone had seen in their small town. Wilton played eight seasons in the major leagues, mostly as a part-time player.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed two of Vladimir’s older brothers, Wilton and Elisier, and the young men trained at their baseball academy. The Dodgers had a shot at signing Vladimir, but hesitated and were beat to the punch by scout Victor Franco of the Montreal Expos.
Guerrero made his professional debut in the Rookie League in 1994, which was the last great year for the Expos. When the season was suspended for a work stoppage in August that year, the Expos had the best record in baseball at 74-40. Longtime Expos fans still wonder what would have happened with the franchise if the team was able to make a playoff run with that incredibly talented team.
Guerrero moved through the minor leagues quickly, but by the time he got regular playing time with in 1997, the Expos were past their early-90s peak. Even though the team wasn’t very good while he was there, Guerrero was terrific in Montreal. During his first five full seasons with the Expos, he averaged 159 games per year, with 105 runs, 39 homers, 116 RBI, and 22 steals (and a .325/.391/.602 batting line). He had a 34-HR/37-SB season in 2001 and a 39-HR/40-SB season in 2002. In the field, he used his rifle arm to rack up 10-15 assists per season.
Of course, as baseball fans at that time observed, for all the great throws Guerrero made there were also plenty of missed cutoff men along the way. He had such a strong arm that he thought he could throw anyone out and it sometimes got him in trouble. He was a joy to watch, though.
After five years of finishing fourth or fifth in the NL East, and with attendance dwindling to a low of 642,000 fans in 2001, the Montreal Expos were taken over by MLB before the 2002 season. Frank Robinson was brought in to manage the club. Surprising everyone, they had a good year, winning 83 games and finishing second in their division.
Guerrero’s final year in Montreal was 2003. The Expos won 83 games for the second year in a row and their attendance topped one million, but MLB wasn’t going to sign Guerrero to a long-term deal with an ownerless team. He became a free agent and signed with the Anaheim Angels. After the 2004 season, the Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals and many Montreal baseball fans have greatly missed them ever since.
House That Hank Built
Guerrero was excellent with the Angels in 2004. He led the league in runs scored and total bases and won the AL MVP Award. The team made it to the playoffs, where they were swept by the Red Sox in the ALDS. It was Guerrero’s first experience with postseason play. He struggled in the small sample of just three games, hitting .167/.286/.417, but drove in six runs.
The Angels continued to be successful during Guerrero’s time with the team. They made the postseason five times in his six years there, including two ALCS appearances. As an Angel, Guerrero averaged 138 games per year, with 84 runs, 27 home runs, 98 RBI, and a .315/.379/.534 batting line.
Towards the end of his Angels tenure, Guerrero shifted from right field to DH. He had leg and back problems that hindered his base running and made him a liability in the field. He continued to hit well through the 2008 season, but his offensive production dropped in 2009, a season in which he played just 100 games. He became a free agent after the season.
Guerrero had a bounce back season as a free agent signee with the Texas Rangers in 2010. He hit 29 home runs, had 115 RBI, made the All-Star team for the ninth time in his career and finished 11th in AL MVP voting. The Rangers won the AL West and made it all the way to the World Series, where they lost to the Giants in five games.
After that season, and for the second offseason in a row, Guerrero was a free agent. This time he signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He was 36 years old and time finally caught up to him. He still hit a respectable .290/.317/.416, but with diminishing speed and no defensive ability, he was a below replacement-level player. He signed with the Blue Jays in May of 2012, but didn’t show enough in the minor leagues to make the major league roster. He was released in June.
Now that he’s a Hall of Fame member, it’s fun to think about Guerrero’s career. He was well known for his free-swinging ways as a hitter. There wasn’t a place a pitcher could throw the ball that Guerrero wouldn’t swing at it and he usually put good wood on everything he hit.
His average of 56 walks per 162 games in his career is surprising at first glance, but then you see that he averaged 19 intentional walks per 162 games and it makes more sense. He led the league in intentional walks five times and nearly 34 percent of his career walks were intentional. That’s a higher percentage than Barry Bonds, who was well known for being intentionally walked.
On Vladimir Guerrero’s Baseball-Reference page, there’s a list of the most similar players by age. In his younger years, Guerrero’s most similar player was Willie Mays. As he aged into his late 20s, Manny Ramirez shows up on the list. In his 30s, it’s Duke Snider. Guerrero now joins Mays and Snider in the Hall of Fame (Manny is another story). It’s a well-deserved honor.