Vladimir Guerrero (2018)


Date of Birth: 2/9/1975
Birthplace: Nizao, Dominican Republic

Vladimir Guerrero's older brother, Wilton, played in the major leagues from 1996 through 2002. The two brothers both played with the Montreal Expos from 1998 through 2000, and in 2002.

Montreal Expos (Washington Nationals)

Guerrero signed with the Expos on March 1, 1993. He played in the minor leagues from 1994 through most of 1996. He first joined the Expos for nine games in 1996.

Guerrero played with the Expos from 1997 through 2003. Although he was always a threat at the plate, his defensive skills were inconsistent. As an outfielder for the Expos, he led the National League in errors from 1992 through 2002. However, he also led the NL in putouts twice.

In 1997, Guerrero batted .302 with 98 hits, 22 doubles, and 40 RBIs in 90 games. Defensively, he made 148 putouts and 12 errors in 84 games in right field. The following season, he batted .324 with 202 hits, 37 doubles, 38 home runs, and 190 RBIs in 159 games. Although he continued to make many errors (17), he also led the NL in putouts as a right fielder with 323.

Guerrero won consecutive Silver Slugger awards from 1999 through 2002. He won his first one for batting .316 with 193 hits, 37 doubles, 42 home runs, and a career high 131 RBIs in 160 games. In 1999, he again led the NL in putouts as a right fielder with a career high 332. He also made a career high 19 errors.

Guerrero had one of his best seasons in 2000. He had career highs in triples with 11, home runs with 44, and batting average with .345. He led the NL in intentional walks that year. He finished the season with 197 hits, 28 doubles, 123 RBIs, and 58 walks to 74 strikeouts in 154 games. The following year, he had 184 hits, a career high 45 doubles, 34 home runs, 37 stolen bases, 108 RBIs, and a .307 batting average in 159 games.

Guerrero had another strong season in 2002, with career highs in games played (161) and hits (206). His 206 hits led the NL. Although he led the NL in the number of times he was caught stealing (20), he had a career high of 40 stolen bases that year. He also had a career high number of walks (84 to 70 strikeouts). He finished the season with 37 doubles, 39 home runs, 111 RBIs, and a .336 batting average.

Guerrero spent time on the DL with a back injury in 2003. He finished the season with 130 hits, 20 doubles, 25 home runs, 79 RBIs, 63 walks to 53 strikeouts, and a .330 batting average in 112 games.

Los Angeles Angels

Guerrero became a free agent on October 27, 2003. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels on January 14, 2004. He played with the Angels from 2004 through 2009. He won consecutive Silver Slugger awards from 2004 through 2007.

Guerrero had a very strong first season with the Angels, winning his only AL MVP award. He also won the Baseball Digest Player of the Year award. He batted .337 with a career high 206 hits, 39 doubles, 39 home runs, 126 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 156 games.

In 2005 and 2006, Guerrero continued to shine at the plate, batting .317 in 2005 and .329 in 2006. He had 200 hits in 2006.

Guerrero had a career high 45 doubles in 2007. He finished the season with 186 hits, 27 home runs, 125 RBIs, 71 walks to 62 strikeouts, and a .324 batting average in 150 games. He won the Home Run Derby that year.

Guerrero continued to play well in his final two seasons with the Angels, although his playing time in 2009 was limited to 100 games. He finished the 2008 season with 164 hits, 31 doubles, 27 home runs, 91 RBIs, and a .303 batting average in 143 games. The following season, he had 113 hits and a .295 batting average.

Texas Rangers

Guerrero became a free agent on November 6, 2009. He signed with the Texas Rangers on January 9, 2010. He won his eighth and last Silver Slugger award in 2010, his only season with the Rangers. He finished the season with 178 hits, 27 doubles, 29 home runs, 115 RBIs, and a .300 batting average in 152 games. That year, he won the Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year award and the same award from Sporting News.

Baltimore Orioles

Guerrero again became a free agent on November 3, 2010, and he signed with the Baltimore Orioles on February 18, 2011. He played just one season with the Orioles. He finished the 2011 season with 163 hits, 30 doubles, 13 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a .290 batting average in 145 games.

Final Year as a Player

Guerrero became a free agent for a final time on October 30, 2011. He didn't sign with any team until May 10, 2012, when the Toronto Blue Jays signed him. However, he only lasted a month with them and he didn't play any games during that time. He was released on June 12th and his major league playing career ended.

Awards

  • AL MVP
  • Baseball Digest Player of the Year
  • Edgar Martinez Outstanding DH Award
  • Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year
  • Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year
  • Silver Slugger award (8 times)

Career Statistics

Batting statistics for Guerrero in 15 full seasons (1997-2011) in the major leagues include:

  • 12 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 206 in 2002 and 2004
  • 9 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 45 in 2001 and 2007
  • 8 seasons with 30 or more home runs, with a high of 44 in 2000
  • 10 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 131 in 1999
  • 4 seasons with more walks than strikeouts, with a high of 84 walks in 2002
  • 13 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .345 in 2000

Career batting statistics for Guerrero include:

  • 2,147 games played
  • 2,590 hits
  • 477 doubles
  • 449 home runs
  • 181 stolen bases
  • 1,496 RBIs
  • 985 strikeouts to 737 walks
  • .318 batting average
  • .379 on-base percentage
  • .932 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Guerrero as a right fielder include:

  • 1,605 games played
  • 3,169 putouts
  • 125 errors
  • .963 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Guerrero include:

  • 6 postseasons
  • 44 games played
  • 171 at-bats
  • 45 hits
  • 7 doubles
  • 2 home runs
  • 20 RBIs
  • 2 stolen bases
  • 30 strikeouts to 14 walks
  • .263 batting average

Post Playing Years

Guerrero was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018 on the second ballot with 92.9% of the votes.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Vladimir Guerrero
ESPN - Vladimir Guerrero
Baseball Reference - Vladimir Guerrero

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