Haloed Induction: Vlad Enters Angels HOF

By César Augusto Márquez

Vladimir Guerrero never expected the call. It was the middle of the spring and here was Angels owner Arte Moreno on the other end of the line, welcoming Guerrero into the team’s Hall of Fame.

“I didn’t know they were going to do it, but when he called to give me the news, I got very emotional. It’s something very special,” Guerrero said in Spanish in an interview this week with La Vida Baseball.

Earlier this year, the Dominican-born Guerrero missed induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum by a scant 15 votes his first time on the ballot.

Otherwise, it’s been a very good summer for Latino legends. Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez made it into Cooperstown on his first try and had his No. 7 retired by Texas, an honor also conferred upon David Ortiz (No. 34 by Boston) and Édgar Martínez (No.11 by Seattle).

Now on Saturday, “Vlad,” as he’s affectionately known, gets to join Panamanian Rod Carew as the other Latino among the 15 inductees enshrined in the Angel’s pantheon.

“It feels good, because I played 16 seasons in the major leagues and it’s an honor to earn this recognition from the Angels,” Guerrero said. “I spent six seasons with them, some of the best years of my career.”

Swagger and style

Guerrero — a bad-ball hitter extraordinaire and one of the best arms ever in right field — was a nine-time All-Star with the Expos and Angels who averaged .318 and retired with 2,590 hits and 449 home runs. Watching Vladi play was watching an artist perform. He swung with swagger and style. More than once he swatted a bouncing curve ball for a hit.

It was at Anaheim where Guerrero won his American League MVP in 2004, when he hit .337 and 39 home runs and led the junior circuit in runs and total bases. In six seasons with the Angels, he averaged .319 with 173 home runs and 616 RBI.

If Vlad had any disappointments, it was that injuries slowed him down and he never got to 3,000 hits.

“If I didn’t get there, it wasn’t meant to be,” Guerrero said. “I’m satisfied with what I did.”

When Vlad played, baseball was a family affair. His mother would come to visit and cook for teammates. Much of his immediate family will be in Anaheim with him for his induction into the Angels Hall of Fame, including his father and mother, one of his brothers, and seven of his eight children.

Like father, like son

Don’t feel sorry for the missing kid. It’s also been a very good summer for Vlad’s oldest son. Vlad Jr. is a rising star in the Toronto organization; MLBPipeline.com rates him as the Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect and No. 6 overall in the minors.

While the Minnesota Twins gave Pudge’s son, Iván Dereck Rodríguez — a pitcher with the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts — permission to accompany his father and family at the Induction Weekend in Cooperstown, Vlad Jr. is holding down third base for the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, where he was hitting .331/.451/.475 as of Aug. 24. And, it must be noted, occasionally enjoying his grandmother’s company and home cooking.

Guerrero, whether it be through social media or on the phone, can’t hide his pride as a father.

“I’m happy because I have a son who’s a ballplayer,” Guerrero said. “He’s been close to me since he was young. He always wanted to be a ballplayer and I always wanted him to fulfill his dream. Since he was 3 years old, he would pick up my bats and practice his swing. That’s when I knew he would become a professional.

“I enjoyed every one of my hits during my career,” Guerrero added. “Today, in the same way, I enjoy every one of my son’s home runs. You can’t describe the sensation of being in the stadium and watching one of his home runs.”

Because he himself was a natural hitter who ignored the strike zone and tried instead to make contact every time, Guerrero says he doesn’t overwhelm his son with advice.

“I don’t usually take the initiative; it’s him who will ask me questions,” Guerrero said. “Recently, he asked how to hit a pitcher who throws sidearm. I told him to stand over the plate and shorten your swing. The next time he faced him, he hit a double.”

Giving back

Guerrero was born in Nizao, a small city on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic west of the capital, Santo Domingo. But he grew up in the neighboring town of Don Gregorio, where he still maintains roots.

“It’s where I feel comfortable, and even though I don’t live anymore in the house where I grew up, I built a new one in the same town,” Guerrero said. “It’s nice to run into all the childhood friends you grew up with.”

In part because he was guided and helped as a kid in the 1980s by the late José Uribe, a shortstop who played 10 seasons, eight of them with the San Francisco Giants, Guerrero makes a point of giving back to his community.

“I try to help the poorest kids achieve their dreams of playing baseball,” Guerrero said. “I think that the Lord has been very good with me. And that’s why you have to give back by helping others. José Uribe used to give us equipment so we could play baseball. Today I like being the one who helps.”

Featured Image: Kirby Lee / Getty Images Sport