Vladimir Guerrero
| Vladimir Guerrero | |
|---|---|
| File:Vlad2.JPG | |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – No. 27 | |
| Right Fielder | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| September 19, 1996, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Career statistics (through August 19, 2006) | |
| Batting Average | .324 |
| OPS | .971 |
| Home runs | 332 |
| RBI's | 1032 |
| Former teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| |
Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Nizao, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball player currently with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the Majors because he regularly hits for power and a high average, steals bases, and has a reputation of having one of the strongest outfield arms in baseball (however, his career fielding percentage of .961 is considered to be the reason why he's not considered a good defensive player). Vlad is also regarded as an excellent "bad ball hitter" for his successful attempts to hit balls thrown outside of the strike zone.
His nickname among peers and commentators is "Vladdy" (or "Big Daddy Vladdy"). Other popular nicknames of his are "Vlad the Impaler" and "Vladiator."
Guerrero bats without wearing batting gloves, a custom rarely seen in modern baseball.
Early career
Vladimir was signed by the Montreal Expos as an amateur free agent in 1993 and eventually made his Major League debut on September 19, 1996.
Vladimir was criticized during his rookie season of 1997 for being too aggressive at the plate. Nonetheless, he put up solid numbers, batting .302 with 11 HRs and 40 RBIs in just 325 at-bats. His incredible hand eye coordination allows him to be a free swinger but still put up MVP type numbers.
Rise to prominence
Premature scorn for Guerrero's free swinging ways changed into admiration in 1998. While he continued to swing at pitches that were clearly balls, he also continued to hit them and, as of the end of 2005, has never struck out 100 times in a single season. Guerrero batted .324 with 38 HRs and 109 RBIs in 1998 and posted similar or slightly improved numbers through the 2002 season. He also developed a running game, stealing 37 bases in 2001 and 40 in 2002. He narrowly missed entering the 40-40 club that season, hitting 39 home runs.
Vladimir's 2003 season was shortened due to injury. In limited at-bats, he hit .330 with 25 HRs and 79 RBIs. Because of the injury, some in the media thought signing him would be a risk. Guerrero was a free agent for the first time after the 2003 season, and he signed with the then-Anaheim Angels after being courted by several teams. The owner of the Angels, Arte Moreno, is the first Latino controlling owner of a Major League ballclub, and Guerrero has cited Moreno's Latin heritage as a motivating factor for choosing the Angels over other teams.
In 2004 Guerrero returned to form, hitting .337 with 39 home runs and 126 RBI's. He was named the American League MVP. Mike Scioscia, the Angels manager, said that Guerrero "really carried us on his back" in the last month of the season, as the Angels overtook first place from the faltering Oakland Athletics who finished the season one game behind in the standings. Guerrero hit six home runs in his last six games of the 2004 regular season, leading the Angels to their first Western Division title since 1986 (The Angels won the 2002 World Series as the American League Wild Card).
The Angels won the Western Division again in 2005, with Guerrero batting .317 with 32 home runs and 108 RBIs in only 520 at bats. In the ALDS victory over the New York Yankees, he hit .333. However, in the ALCS against the eventual world champions, the Chicago White Sox, Guerrero hit a mere .050.
Accomplishments
- American League MVP (2004)
- 7-time All-Star (1999-2002, 2004-06)
- Finished 4th in National League MVP voting (2002)
- Finished 6th in National League MVP voting (2000)
- Hit 30+ home runs and stole 30+ bases (2001, 2002) (see 30-30 club)
- Fell one home run short of being the 4th member of the 40-40 club (2002)
- Hit for the cycle (2003)
- Member of Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team
- Named to the Dominican Republic's roster for the inaugural World Baseball Classic, although he eventually withdrew due to the tragic death of his cousins in a car accident right before the tournament.
- On August 5, 2006, had a 44-game hitting streak against the Texas Rangers snapped (he had hit in the first 44 games where he had faced them), one of the longest such streaks by one player against a single opposing team, and the longest such streak since divisional play began in 1969. Guerrero was intentionally walked 3 times in the streak-stopping game, and once unintentionally, but was still 0-1 in the game, thus ending the streak.
- One of only twelve players to hit 300 home runs before age 30 (Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, Harmon Killebrew, Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Juan Gonzalez, and Andruw Jones)
- He has provided several job opportunities in his hometown in the Dominican Republic through his business ventures: a cement-block factory, a propane distributorship, a supermarket, a livestock and vegetable farm, and a women's clothing store.
- Vladimir was featured in Pepsi ads with the Yankees's third baseman Alex Rodriguez in 2005.
- Guerrero also picked up his 1000th career RBI on July 15, 2006 at home against the Devil Rays.
- Guerrero is the younger brother of major leaguer Wilton Guerrero.
Career stats
Yr Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K AVG OBP SLG TB SH SF IBB HBP GIDP ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 20 MON NL 9 27 2 5 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 .185 .185 .296 8 0 0 0 0 1 1997 21 MON NL 90 325 44 98 22 2 11 40 3 4 19 39 .302 .350 .483 157 0 3 2 7 11 1998 22 MON NL 159 623 108 202 37 7 38 109 11 9 42 95 .324 .371 .589 367 0 5 13 7 15 1999 23 MON NL 160 610 102 193 37 5 42 131 14 7 55 62 .316 .378 .600 366 0 2 14 7 18 2000 24 MON NL 154 571 101 197 28 11 44 123 9 10 58 74 .345 .410 .664 379 0 4 23 8 15 2001 25 MON NL 159 599 107 184 45 4 34 108 37 16 60 88 .307 .377 .566 339 0 3 24 9 24 2002 26 MON NL 161 614 106 206 37 2 39 111 40 20 84 70 .336 .417 .593 364 0 5 32 6 20 2003 27 MON NL 112 394 71 130 20 3 25 79 9 5 63 53 .330 .426 .586 231 0 4 22 6 18 2004 28 ANA AL 156 612 124 206 39 2 39 126 15 3 52 74 .337 .391 .598 366 0 8 14 8 19 2005 29 LAA AL 141 520 95 165 29 2 32 108 13 1 61 48 .317 .394 .565 294 0 5 26 8 16 2006 30 LAA AL 123 475 73 152 22 0 27 98 14 4 40 60 .320 .374 .537 255 0 4 18 3 13 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTALS 1419 5370 933 1738 316 38 332 1034 165 79 534 666 .324 .389 .582 3126 0 43 188 69 170 11 Seasons
See also
External links
- 1999 National League All-Stars
- 2000 National League All-Stars
- 2001 National League All-Stars
- 2002 National League All-Stars
- 2004 American League All-Stars
- 2005 American League All-Stars
- 2006 American League All-Stars
- 30-30 club
- Anaheim Angels players
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim players
- Montreal Expos players
- Major league right fielders
- Dominican Republic baseball players
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Baseball players who have hit for the cycle