Guerrero enjoys his visit to Hall

Fresh from swinging some heavy lumber in the basement of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Vladimir Guerrero took a quick peek at where his likeness will hang in three months. Talk about a sense of pride. “I feel happy and my people feel happy,” the 43-year-old native of the Dominican Republic said Thursday in the Plaque Gallery after a whirlwind tour of baseball’s mecca. “I’m the first one from my town, obviously, but I’m also the first Dominican hitter in the Hall of Fame.”

Guerrero, a nine-time All-Star outfielder, was elected in January on his second try. He will be inducted July 29 with first-ballot sluggers Jim Thome and Chipper Jones, relief ace Trevor Hoffman, and former Tigers stars Alan Trammell and Jack Morris, who were elected in December by a veterans committee. Guerrero received 92.9 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

“Growing up in my town of Don Gregorio, all I wanted to do was sign a professional baseball contract,” said Guerrero, who was accompanied by girlfriend Roxannie Rodriguez and brother Julio.

“I never thought I would be in the Hall of Fame, but now that I’m here I’m so glad it has happened.”

Guerrero, who earned eight Silver Slugger Awards and the 2004 AL MVP, retired in 2011 with a .318 batting average, 2,590 hits, 1,496 RBIs and 449 home runs. A notorious bad-ball hitter, he hit .300 or better 13 times, knocked in at least 100 runs 10 times, and surpassed 30 homers eight times. Guerrero also had a pair of seasons with 30 homers and 30 steals. His 31-game hitting streak in 1999 remains tied for 25th on the all-time list, and his rocket arm produced 126 assists.