Vladimir Guerrero

VLADIMIR GUERRERO - MONTREAL EXPOS

Right Field
Age: 26 (February 9, 1976)
Height: 6-3 Weight: 210
Throws: Right Bats: Right



History

Vladimir Guerrero showed the world his star power in 1996, busting out in just his first full season as a professional. Between West Palm Beach (rookie A ball) and Harrisburg (AA), Guerrero hit a gaudy .360-24-96 with 100 runs and 40 doubles, leading Harrisburg to the Eastern League Title and earning honors as The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year. The 20-year-old Dominican earned the call to the majors in mid-September, and would never relinquish his role as the Expos Right Fielder.

A heavy favorite for the 1997 Rookie of the Year, Vladdy demolished the league in Spring Training before fouling a pitch off his foot just two games before the start of the season. Injuries would become a plague for Guerrero that year, as he'd spend three different stints on the DL. He did manage to hit .302 and jacked 11 homers in his 90 games, and certainly proved to the big leagues just what an exciting talent he was both in the field (10 Outfield Assists) and on the basepaths (scored from second base on a sacrifice fly), as well as at the plate. However, the accolades that were expected would have to be put off for another season.

The Talent

There may not be a player in the game who defines the phrase "five-tool" better than Guerrero. He has a .319 career batting average; he has ungodly power, averaging 39.5 homers over the last four seasons; his raw speed is amazing, as he stole 37 last season and is on pace for even more this year; his ability to track balls in the outfield is solid; his arm in the outfield may be the best the game has ever seen. Now, if he could just learn to be a bit more patient at the plate.......

Establishing Himself

Guerrero has dominated the National League since his sophomore season. From 1998-2000, he hit for a .328 average with 124 (41.3/season) homers, 363 RBI (121/season), and 311 runs (103.6/season). The one thing that he kind of hid in the closet was his base-stealing ability, as he averaged just 11 a season in that span. This three year span put Guerrero in an elite class, as he joined just Jimmy Foxx, Joe Dimaggio, and Ted Williams as the fourth player in Major League history to post three consecutive .300-30-100 seasons before the age of 25. In short, Guerrero was fast becoming one of the top five batters in the league, if not the best.

2001

Coming off a surreal .345-44-123 season in 2000, big things were expected of Vladdy. Many expected him to hit 50 homers for the first time in his career, and wondered if he was capable of raising that average even higher than .345. Guerrero achieved neither, but did perform as well as many could have hoped.

Having come off of his worst season on the basepaths (9-19 SBs), many had thought that Vladimir had just decided he was going to be a Sammy Sosa-esque power hitter for the rest of his career, forgetting his base-stealing abilities somewhere along the way. Guerrero saw it differently. He ran wild in 2001, successfully swiping 37 bases in 53 attempts, and posting his first 30-30 season. He tattooed the ball at a .307 clip, threw in his usual 107 runs, and jacked 34 homers while driving in 108. His power numbers were down slightly across the board, but the speed added such a new dimension to his game that it balanced out.

2002 Outlook

At this point, Vladdy is a consensus top five pick in just about any Fantasy League. Typically, he can be counted on to hit .320-40-120 and score over 100 runs while stealing anywhere from 20-40 bases. The only players likely to go ahead of him in a Fantasy Draft are Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod being a SS factors in a lot) and Randy Johnson. He is, bar none, the best outfielder in the game when every dimension of the game is factored in, if not the best all-around player. To top it off, he's only 26-years-old, which makes him gold in Keeper Leagues.

2002 Production

Guerrero has yet to disappoint, and is currently on pace to make a serious run at 40/40 this year. He's hitting his usual .320, and is on pace for 125 RBI and 100 runs.

Fantasy Decisions

Guerrero is as difficult a player to pass over in a Fantasy Draft as there has ever been. Even with the #1 pick and the ability to choose a stud SS like Alex Rodriguez, choosing Vladdy would be far from a disappointment. Expect him to join A-Rod, Barry Bonds, and Jose Canseco as the fourth player in the history of the game to join the 40/40 club sometime down the road, if not this season.

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James Meyerriecks
Cardinals & Royals Lead Correspondent