Recognized as the sports hall with the toughest standards, this marks the first year since 1971 with six additions and the first since 1955 with six living inductees.
Heading the class of 2018 is Guerrero. The right-handed-hitting outfielder is the last of the great Montreal Expos, establishing himself prior to the franchise’s move to Washington following the 2004 season.
From the moment when a 16-year-old Guerrero pulled up at an Expos tryout camp in the Dominican Republic in 1993 — riding on the back of his friend’s moped — his arm, power, ability to hit bad pitches and smile became legendary among Canadian baseball fans.
His profile in the Expos farm system for three seasons was raised, and his inevitable ascent to the majors accelerated, by the influence and life lessons of mentor and manager Felipe Alou.
Alou, the first Dominican-born player in major league baseball in the late 1950s, protected and corrected his prized pupil, who already possessed one of the greatest throwing arms of his generation from right field and had the ability to hit any pitch — in or out of the strike zone — making it impossible to pitch around him or take a traditional approach to getting him out.
Guerrero, who broke in with the Expos late in the 1996 season at the age of 21, is one of just five major leaguers to hit more than 400 home runs while striking out fewer than 1,000 times. That exclusive list of players with elite power and bat control also includes Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Mel Ott.
Despite the fact Vlad has chosen to be inducted wearing an Angels hat, he will be cheered on by a large contingent of fans from Canada that made the journey by car and bus to tiny Cooperstown, a sparkling gem on the shores of Otsego Lake.
Guerrero, now 43, dazzled for 16 major-league seasons with the Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles. He was selected for nine all-star games, won eight Silver Sluggers, was voted the American League MVP in 2004 as a member of the Angels and had a pair of 30-homer, 30-steal seasons.
A nice touch for Canadian fans is that Guerrero’s 19-year-old son, top Blue Jays prospect Vlad Jr., is with him in Cooperstown — signalling a passing of the torch from the last great Expos star to perhaps the next great Blue Jay. Vlad Jr. joined his father after a four-hour drive from Manchester, N.H. and will continue west after Sunday’s ceremony, making another four-hour trip to Buffalo — where he will join the Triple-A Bisons on Tuesday, the next step on his way to the majors.
Vladdy Sr was a beast.
He would swing at anything and somehow hit the ball hard. He didn’t care if the ball bounced, if it ended up somewhere near the strike zone, he would take a shot and half the time end up on second base.
Vladdy could do it on both sides of the diamond as he had an above average glove and he had a cannon from the outfield. Early on teams would run on him and think they were doing the right thing. After about 3 months in the league and a couple of early assists, that changed quick.
Blue Jays fans are hoping Vladdy Jr can produce half of the numbers SR finished with.
Shouldn’t be any issues.
Congrats to the fam, and look for SR to be in attendance when JR plays his first game for Buffalo on Tuesday.
Today, they enjoy the hall of fame together.
No word yet if they will keep room beside SR for JR’s spot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUErJ5zcwYo