Vladimir Guerrero | |||
---|---|---|---|
Guerrero with the Orioles in 2011
|
|||
Right fielder / Designated hitter | |||
Born: Nizao, Dominican Republic |
February 9, 1975 |||
|
|||
MLB debut | |||
September 19, 1996, for the Montreal Expos | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 28, 2011, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .318 | ||
Hits | 2,590 | ||
Home runs | 449 | ||
Runs batted in | 1,496 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1975) is a Dominican former professional baseball player who spent 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right fielder and designated hitter. He played for the Montreal Expos from (1996–2003), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from (2004–2009), the Texas Rangers in (2010), and Baltimore Orioles in (2011).
In 2004, he was voted the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP). He helped lead the Angels to five AL West championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), and was voted as one of the most feared hitters in baseball in a 2008 poll of all 30 major league managers.
A nine-time All Star, he was widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the game because of his impressive offensive production, regularly hitting for power and average, and, prior to injuries that robbed him of range, stellar defense, and a strong throwing arm. He was also regarded as the game's premier "bad ball hitter", for his ability to consistently hit balls thrown well outside of his strike zone, a skill made evident on August 14, 2009, when Guerrero hit a pitch which bounced in front of home plate. Guerrero's proactive batting aggression was reflected by his career statistics: while he hit over 30 home runs in eight separate seasons and surpassed 100 RBI ten times, he had just two seasons with as many as 65 walks. In the first pitch of an at-bat, he hit 126 home runs, believed to be the most ever, and put 1,780 balls into play.
On September 26, 2011, Guerrero became the all-time MLB leader in hits among players from the Dominican Republic, surpassing Julio Franco. He was later surpassed by Adrián Beltré in 2014. At the time of his final game, he was the leader among active major league outfielders in errors, with 125, and was second in assists, with 126.