VLAD THE DAD
Vladimir Guerrero goes into Canadian hall hoping he has given his son the tools to succeed with the Jays,
Two years ago, when former Expos all-star outfielder Vladimir Guerrero heard that his manager Felipe Alou was being inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, he was thrilled for his mentor. Two years later, Guerrero received the good news that he would be joining Alou in the hall at St. Marys, Ont.
Guerrero was inducted Saturday with Roy Halladay, Ray Carter, umpire Doug Hudlin and the Canadian gold-medal team at the 2015 Pan Am Games. Guerrero became the fourth Dominican-born member honoured in the Canadian hall, joining Tony Fernandez, George Bell and Alou. He’s proud.
“I was happy for Felipe when I heard he was being inducted,” Guerrero said Saturday. “When I received the call, I was happy I was being inducted alongside Felipe in the same hall-of-fame. It’s nice that Canada is also looking outside just Canadian players only and looking to Dominicans and other nationalities to induct as well.”
There has always been a special father-son bond between Alou and the free-swinging young star who made his major-league debut with nine games in 1996, before an injury-marred season of just 90 games in ’97.
Guerrero was making his pro debut in the rookie Gulf Coast League in 1994 when, prior to Expos home games, Alou would carefully place minor-league game reports on the corner of the desk facing a media that was about to enter his office.
When they had all settled in he would begin every session with, “Another great day for Vlad. He will be here soon,” while waving a hand over the reports. Guerrero was there in two years.
“I’m extremely grateful to Felipe for giving me the opportunity to play,” Guerrero said. “The first year I was hurt. I didn’t play every day, but once I got back into playing shape, Felipe let me play because he knew I had it in me and wanted to let me show all the talent I had. I saw him as a mentor, a father figure. I had conversations with him privately about baseball and life in general. We had our own special moments where he pulled me aside and would speak to me about life.”
There has never been an official father and son inducted at St. Marys. It’s still many years away, but the possibility now exists with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just 18 years old and one of the best players in the Class-A Midwest League. He is one of the top 50 prospects in baseball. Viewed side by side, Junior has his dad’s swing, but more of a belief the strike zone is not just a guideline for umpires.
The Montreal-born Guerrero Jr. is six-foot-one and 200 pounds and just finished second in the Midwest League’s all-star home-run derby. In 61 games at Lansing, through Saturday, he was batting .313 in 61 games with four homers, 39 RBIs, six steals, 33 walks, 30 strikeouts and an OPS of .862. He is eligible to play for Canada.
“The big difference in batting style, in what Junior does, is that he’s more selective than I was playing,” Guerrero said. “I would swing at anything, in the strike zone, out of the strike zone. I just wanted to hit the ball hard. But Junior’s more selective at the plate than I was at this point in our careers.”
Another advantage for the younger Vlad is the way he was nurtured, scouted and signed compared to the route Senior took with the Expos. Senior famously arrived at an Expos tryout in the Dominican on the back of a friend’s moped, with ragtag equipment but dazzling baseball skills. The rest is history. Junior, in contrast, was mentored by his major-league uncle Wilton and his father. He was blessed with a solid workout regimen and professional nutritional habits, with the knowledge he was going to be a top pro prospect. His tryout attracted 30 major-league scouts.
“Ever since Junior was a very young boy, maybe 10 years old, he always wanted to play against older kids,” Guerrero said.
“When Vlad turned 14 or so, he started playing with men, so he always has been ahead. I had more (experience) to provide to my son to be ready. Both Wilton and I had the talent to pass some of the information on to him. I’m happy that, where he’s at now, he’s a little more advanced than I was. I just hope, God willing, that he gets to the bigs pretty soon.”
Maybe beginning in Montreal was a blessing in the older Guerrero’s development, allowing him to be himself in putting up a hall-of-fame career that included an AL MVP award with the Angels in 2004. Montreal’s acceptance helped Jackie Robinson’s career.
“I was happy,” Guerrero recalled of his arrival in Montreal. “I felt like I was home in the Dominican because, here — from the day I arrived to the day I left — I could always walk in the street and people would say hi. I could take the Metro to the stadium and the train home. I was very comfortable and felt right at home.”
A raw talent left to his own developmental devices, Vlad Sr. finished sixth in NL rookie-of-the-year voting at age 22 in 1997. Vlad Jr. will be 22 at the start of 2021, but given the advantages he has had as a young prospect in the Dominican Republic, look for his timeline to be moved up a year or two — maybe 2019 or 2020.