Vladimir Guerrero

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Vladimir Guerrero

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — No. 27
Right Fielder
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
September 19, 1996 for the Montreal Expos
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
AVG	.325
HR	338
RBI's	1052
OPS	.973
Awards
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006 All-Star 2004 American League MVP 1999, 2000, and 2002 NL Silver Slugger (OF) 2004, 2005 AL Silver Slugger (OF)
Former teams
Montreal Expos (1996-2003)

Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic), nicknamed Vlad, is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He currently lives in Anaheim Hills, California

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. Guerrero is also regarded as the game's premier "bad ball hitter" for his ability to hit balls thrown outside of the strike zone.

Contents 1 Playing career 2 Current contract 3 Accomplishments 4 Career statistics 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Playing career

Guerrero 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 RBI in just 325 at-bats. Guerrero's superior hand-eye coordination allows him to be a free swinger but still put up high batting averages year after year.

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 with authority. In ten fulltime seasons, Guerrero has never struck out 100 times.

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.

Guerrero's 2003 season was shortened due to a back 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. 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). These late-season heroics led to Guerrero being chosen as the 2004 AL MVP.

The Angels won the Western Division again in 2005, with Guerrero batting .317 with 32 home runs and 108 RBIs in 520 at bats. Guerrero had an up-and-down postseason, batting .333 in ALDS victory over the New York Yankees, but just .050 in the ALCS against the eventual world champion Chicago White Sox.

Guerrero bats without wearing batting gloves, a custom rarely seen in modern baseball. To improve his grip on the bat, he coats his helmet with pine tar and simply rubs his helmet before going into the on-deck circle. As the season progresses, his batting helmet becomes coated in the substance. This is particularly noticeable with the bright red helmet of the Angels. Teammate Orlando Cabrera followed this approach to helmet-based pine-tar hoarding, although Cabrera also wears batting gloves.

His nickname among peers and commentators is "Vladdy". He has also been called "Vlad the Impaler", "Big Daddy Vladdy" and "Vladiator." All of which were popularized by the Angels color commentator (and former MLB player) Rex Hudler.

[edit] Current contract

5 years, $70 million (2004-2008), plus $15 million 2009 club option -$5 million signing bonus

• 2004: $10 million
• 2005: $11.5 million
• 2006: $12.5 million
• 2007: $13.5 million
• 2008: $14.5 million
• 2009: $15 million club option ($3 million buyout)
• $0.2 million bonus for finishing 3rd in 2005 MVP vote
• $0.1 million All-Star incentive annually

[edit] 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) Against the New York Mets
• 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.
• Had a 44-game hitting streak against the Texas Rangers, the longest such player-vs.-team streak in MLB history (the streak occurred in his first 44 appearances against the Rangers).
• One of only twelve players to hit 300 home runs before age 30 (along with 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.
• Was featured in Pepsi ads with the Yankees's third baseman Alex Rodriguez in 2005.
• Picked up his 1000th career RBI on July 15, 2006 at home against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
• Guerrero is the younger brother of major leaguer Wilton Guerrero. They both played with the Montreal Expos. He is also the older brother of current minor leaguer Cristian Guerrero of the Harrisburg Senators.

[edit] Career statistics

Season	Team	League		G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG
1996	Montreal Expos	NL		9	27	2	5	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	3	.185	.185	.296
1997	Montreal Expos	NL		90	325	44	98	22	2	11	40	3	4	19	39	.302	.350	.483
1998	Montreal Expos	NL		159	623	108	202	37	7	38	109	11	9	42	95	.324	.371	.589
1999	Montreal Expos	NL		160	610	102	193	37	5	42	131	14	7	55	62	.316	.378	.600
2000	Montreal Expos	NL		154	571	101	197	28	11	44	123	9	10	58	74	.345	.410	.664
2001	Montreal Expos	NL		159	599	107	184	45	4	34	108	37	16	60	88	.307	.377	.566
2002	Montreal Expos	NL		161	614	106	206	37	2	39	111	40	20	34	70	.336	.471	.593
2003	Montreal Expos	NL		112	394	71	130	20	3	25	79	9	5	63	53	.330	.426	.586
2004	Anaheim Angels	AL		156	612	124	206	39	2	39	126	15	3	52	74	.337	.391	.598
2005	Los Angeles Angels	AL		141	520	95	165	29	2	32	108	13	1	61	48	.317	.394	.565
2006	Los Angeles Angels	AL		156	607	92	200	34	1	33	116	15	5	50	68	.329	.382	.552
Career Totals				1457	5502	952	1786	328	39	338	1052	166	80	544	673	.325	.390	.583

[edit] See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• Players from Dominican Republic in MLB

[edit] External links

• Vladimir Guerrero at ESPN.com
• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis

Preceded by Sammy Sosa	National League Player of the Month July 1998	Succeeded by Jeff Kent
Preceded by Mark McGwire	National League Player of the Month August 1999	Succeeded by Greg Vaughn
Preceded by Greg Vaughn	National League Player of the Month April 2000	Succeeded by Todd Helton
Preceded by Barry Bonds	National League Player of the Month April 2002	Succeeded by Todd Helton
Preceded by Barry Bonds	National League Player of the Month August 2003	Succeeded by Jim Thome
Preceded by Ichiro Suzuki	American League Player of the Month September 2004	Succeeded by Brian Roberts
Preceded by Alex Rodriguez	American League Most Valuable Player 2004	Succeeded by Alex Rodriguez
Preceded by Garret Anderson	American League Silver Slugger Award 2004 – present	Incumbent

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Coaching Staff	Manager: Mike Scioscia • Bench: Ron Roenicke • Pitching: Mike Butcher • Hitting: Mickey Hatcher • Bullpen: Orlando Mercado • First Base: Alfredo Griffin • Third Base: Dino Ebel
Rotation	John Lackey • Ervin Santana • Joe Saunders • Kelvim Escobar • Jered Weaver
Bullpen	Héctor Carrasco • Greg Jones • Darren Oliver • Francisco Rodríguez • Scot Shields • Justin Speier
Catchers	Jeff Mathis • José Molina • Mike Napoli
Infielders	Orlando Cabrera • Chone Figgins • Shea Hillenbrand • Maicer Izturis • Howie Kendrick • Casey Kotchman
Outfielders	Robb Quinlan • Garret Anderson • Tommy Murphy • Vladimir Guerrero • Gary Matthews, Jr. • Reggie Willits
Disabled List:	Bartolo Colón • Juan Rivera

Major League Baseball | MLB Latino Legends Team
Iván Rodríguez | Albert Pujols | Rod Carew | Edgar Martinez | Alex Rodriguez | Roberto Clemente | Manny Ramírez Vladimir Guerrero | Pedro Martínez | Juan Marichal | Fernando Valenzuela | Mariano Rivera