HE'S IN! Angels great Vladimir Guerrero elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
He's in, he's in, HE IS IN!
Angels legend Vladimir Guerrero has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot.
The announcement was made on Wednesday on MLB Network. Candidates needed 317 votes for induction from the 422 ballots.
Guerrero, who collected 392 votes (92.9 percent) joins Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Alan Trammell, Jack Morris and Trevor Hoffman as members of the Class of 2018.
https://www.foxsports.com/west/story/vlad-guerrero-baseball-hall-of-fame-social-media-reaction-los-angeles-angels-012418
"Thank you very much to the writers and those who consider what my career what is was," said Guerrero on a conference call with reporters. Jose Mota of FOX Sports West assisted with the translation. "I'm quite thankful to be a Hall of Famer."
"We are so excited for Vladdy and his family with today's announcement. I think that sentiment is not only from our organization, but is shared with his many teammates through the years, and perhaps more importantly, his countrymen in the Dominican Republic. His six years with the Angels was arguably the most impressive stretch of team success in club history. Vlad's contributions to that performance will forever make him one of the more popular men to ever wear an Angels uniform," said Angels owner Arte Moreno in a statement.
https://twitter.com/FoxSportsWest/status/956304984844283905
Guerrero, the 2004 American League MVP, spent 2004-09 with the Angels and helped the club to five straight AL West titles ('04-'08).
During his time in Anaheim, Guerrero hit 173 home runs and drove in 616 runs in 846 games played. His .319 batting average as an Angel is the highest mark in franchise history.
Guerrero said he learned early in his career to 'get to the ballpark early and do your work' and took a lot of pride not only as a hitter, but as an outfielder as well.
https://www.foxsports.com/west/gallery/vlad-guerrero-los-angeles-angels-stats-breakdown-baseball-hall-of-fame-012418
"Vlad is very deserving of this tremendous honor. There haven't been many other players that have dominated in both leagues like he did throughout his entire career. He was able to control all aspects of the game whether it was by stealing a base, hitting a ball out of the ballpark or with his defense. A player of his caliber doesn't come along in this game very often," said longtime Angels manager Mike Scioscia in a statement.
For his career spanning 1996-2011 with the Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles, Guerrero hit .318 with 449 HRs and 616 RBI.
"Vladdy was the most talented and exciting players of his generation. He was a fantastic teammate and a joy to play alongside. I couldn’t be happier for Vlad and his family for such an awesome career achievement," said Garrett Anderson, former Angels outfielder from 1994-2008.
https://twitter.com/Angels/status/956305930810884097
Guerrero, a native of Nizao, Dominican Republic, is the 11th former Angels player to make the Hall of Fame, along with Hoyt Wilhlem, Frank Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Don Sutton, Dave Winfield, Bert Blyleven, Eddie Murray, and Rickey Henderson.
"My best memory of Vlad was in my debut against the Orioles. Base hit to right, man on second and Vlad comes up throwing a missile, I'm standing behind home plate watching everything unfold and in the back of my mind I think to myself, this is a dream, but the ball reaches home plate and the throw is right on the money and gets the runner coming around third.
"I will never forget that picture in my mind. Nobody enjoyed the game as much as Vladdy and nobody handled being a superstar better than him! The best!," said Jered Weaver, former Angels pitcher from 2006-16.
