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- As a little boy, Vladimir dreamed of being a singer and dancer in an all-Guerrero merengue band. He and his brothers and sisters would put on shows for their mother.
- Vladimir dropped out of school at 13 to help his family make ends meet. He worked selling fish.
- As a young player, Vladimir patterned himself after Raul Mondesi and Sammy Sosa.
- The Dodgers, who loved Vladimir’s arm but worried about his speed, worked him out at catcher when he was at their academy in Las Palmas.
- Vladimir worked out for the Rangers early in 1993. They chose not to sign him.
- Vladimir drew comparisons to a young Bernie Williams when he began his pro career. He and Williams were signed by the same scout, Fred Ferreira, who also signed Jose Vidro.
- Vladimir’s 31-game hitting streak in 1999 was the longest of the decade.
- In 2004, Vladimir was the first Angel to win the MVP award since Don Baylor in 1979. He became the fourth Dominican to be named MVP—George Bell, Sammy Sosa and Miguel Tejada are the others.
- When WIlton Guerrero started with the Dodgers, Alvino lived with him and was a surrogate mother to Raul Mondesi, Adrian Beltre and Jose Vizcaino. She moved to Montreal when Wilton was traded there during 1998.
- Vladimir once hit a double off a one-hop fastball by Carl Pavano.
- Vladimir is a PlayStation addict. His favorite thing to do is control himself as a batter.
- Vladimir is one of baseball’s toughest interviews. He won’t speak to an English-language reporter without a teammate serving as interpreter.
- Vladimir has built a hardware store and supermarket in his hometown.
- Vladimir’s youngest brother,Julio, was signed by the Red Sox in the late 1990s. Two cousins, Armando and Christian Guerrero, were signed by the Blue Jays and Brewers.
- In 1999, Vladimir had a son, Vlady Jr.
Bernie Williams,
2004 Fleer Tradition
Don Baylor, 1975
SSPC