Vladimir Guerrero will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2017, and he's already thinking about which cap he'll don on his Cooperstown plaque if elected.
"Since there is no team in Montreal, it would probably be the Angels," Guerrero told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times on Saturday.
Guerrero, now serving as a guest instructor this spring for the Angels, was signed by the Expos (now the Washington Nationals) as an amateur free agent in 1993, and earned four All-Star selections while playing eight seasons in Canada. He quickly became the face of the franchise along with Hall of Fame hurler Pedro Martinez, and was beloved in Montreal before signing with Los Angeles as a free agent in 2004.
| TEAM | SEASONS | SLASH | HR | RBI | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expos | 8 | .323/.390/.588 | 234 | 702 | 32.9 |
| Angels | 6 | .319/.381/.546 | 173 | 616 | 15.7 |
Guerrero exploded in his first season with the Angels, hitting .337/.391/.598 with 39 homers and 126 RBIs to capture American League MVP honors. He went on to capture four more All-Star nods while playing for L.A. before joining the Texas Rangers in 2010.
Montreal honored Guerrero prior to an exhibition contest at Olympic Stadium last spring with a thunderous standing ovation.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Outfielder Andre Dawson and catcher Gary Carter are already enshrined in Cooperstown as members of the Expos. Tim Raines and Larry Walker are currently on the ballot, and if elected, would likely enter the Hall with the franchise, as well.
Guerrero would be the first player to ever represent the Angels in Cooperstown.
