How Vlad Guerrero Became the Best Bad Ball Hitter in Baseball

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Vladimir Guerrero was not only one of the most exciting people in the league during his time in Major League Baseball, he was also quite possibly the most unique player to set foot on the field in the late '90s and early '00s. As a member of the Expos, Angels, Rangers, and Orioles, Guerrero was an all-time great outfielder, set offensive records, and made MLB history on more than one occasion. In fact, it's possible he was a better bad ball hitter than almost any other player in MLB history, beating out fellow Hall of Fame-caliber players like Ken Griffey Jr, Albert Pujols, and Barry Bonds.
In this video, we'll take a look at how Vlad Guerrero went from an unknown prospect from the Dominican Republic to the most electrifying player in the game. Along the way, we'll explore his road to the show, his obstacles in Montreal and Anaheim, and the way his upbringing helped him become the best bad ball hitter in baseball.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @BaseballHSTRN
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BUSINESS INQUIRIES
[e-mail]
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SOURCES
Baseball Reference
Fangraphs
Wikipedia
SABR
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MUSIC
"Carved From Stone" - TrackTribe
"Freeling" - Lauren Duski
"Good for Nothing Safety" - Twin Musicom
"Grant & Green" - Josh Lippi & The Overtimers
"Heavy Hunter" - Audionatix
"Nemesis In Franklin Park" - DJ Williams
"Ticket To Nowhere Man" - Audionatix
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[@BaseballHistorian]

Use code HISTORIAN130 to get $130 off across 6 Factor boxes at bit.ly/3qtxEB0!

[@cro4194]

nice

[@811chelseafc]

The craziest thing about Vlad is that even with his penchant for swinging at terrible pitches, he only once struck out more than 90 times in a season and indeed had a few seasons where he walked more than he struck out. He was a truly unique hitter.

[@theskepticaltaco7340]

He also never hit under 290. In his career

[@rickybobbysdriver555]

I think Vlad's mantra in baseball was, "it felt wrong not to swing." Dude is a legend.

[@bmac4]

The Guerrero family has some absurd baseball talent. One brother and nephew also played in the bigs, multiple other brothers made it to MLB farm systems, and it took a completely unprecedented season from Ohtani to keep his son Vladdy Jr from winning MVP too.

[@joejackson9986]

Jr is fat though

[@colinboutilier]

And Jr has a handful of younger brothers poised to make an impact on the sport in the near future.

[@MrTakaMOSHi]

I read a scouting report on Jr that basically said "like his dad, but a better athlete" So far, maybe

[@robertaBooey69]

@@MrTakaMOSHi ummm his dad stole bases played better defense and had a better arm. Better hitter maybe… but nothing else. They had to move him to first because his d was horrible at 3rd

[@SteefPip]

It's bound to happen when a poor country goes all in on baseball like the DR does. It's a bit exploitive the way teams take advantage of it but it sure does provide a lot of opportunity for people who would never get it. You take the good with the bad I guess, that's just life.

[@philb.1502]

Vlad Sr. was a .318 lifetime hitter!! A bad ball hitter that didn't strike out that much. Never struck out 100 times in any season. Awesome player!

[@michaeldoran4367]

MASSIVE KOK!

[@vidowatcher91]

Dude hit .290 and said "I gotta hang it up" 🤣🤣🤣 that's a great year! One of my favorites, so happy he made it. I don't know how much the first ballot thing matters to the player but I do think he should have made the hall first time up. It's weird to me to go from below 75% of the vote your first time up then to 92% your second year. It's like the voters got together and said yeah guys we messed up get him in!

[@BendyDH]

I’m not sure how the votes work but I think sometimes the voters will prioritize players who are about to lose eligibility, since a player falls off the ballot after 10yrs. Looking at the 2016 vote they let Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell in, who were in their 10th and 7th year respectively. They probably just gave Vlad enough votes to stay on the ballot knowing they can just vote him in next year. Idk just a thought 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@vidowatcher91]

@@BendyDH makes a lot of sense actually, good thoughts there

[@joqqeman]

He was a below average defender with a below average offense that year. Who was giving him a big contract at 36?

[@vidowatcher91]

@@joqqeman he was only slightly below average offensively, but was below his standards. I never said anyone should or would give him a big contract, but most teams would have given him a contract. I could see a 1, possibly 2 year deal at league minimum or slightly higher, but I certainly respect the fact he decided to hang it up instead of taking small money and playing at a level he didn't want to play at. The best athletes aren't always the best at calling it quits

[@LancerJak]

The majority of the voters of the HoF are pathetic losers who have massive ego cuz they couldn’t make it as players. Him being voted that low is beyond absurd.

[@darthrevan6]

Growing up as an Expos fan was heartbreaking, but Guerrero and Martinez made baseball special in Montreal.

[@drewfrazier6768]

Larry Walker was pretty gosh darn good for y'all as well

[@martinhoude3518]

Add to that being an Expos fan in Québec city...Both my childhood clubs stopped existing.

[@KidFresh71]

Not to mention Randy Johnson, Tim Raines, John Wetland, Cliff Floyd, Marquis Grissom, Ken Hill and Moises Alou.

[@thecolorhero1078]

The alous too :)😊

[@sergelevesque2718]

Seeing good players going away all the time was so frustrating, but it was incredible how every time the team managed to find an incredible young talent that all the other teams glossed over. I remember that everyone loved Delino DeShields on second base and said the team was crazy to get rid of him, but then Mike Lansing ended up being even better. And then Lansing left and the fans thought the team was done, but out come Jose Vidro and he was just as good! The scouting talents on that franchise could have kept that team going forever... but unfortunately the management was horrible, and the fan presence just depressing and ultimately killed the team. :(

[@sergelevesque2718]

I specifically recall one instance where Vlad reached so far low and outside to hit a ball that he finished his swing on one knee........... and that hit cleared the fence for a homerun! That guy absolutely was something else!

[@smokeymchaggis73]

"Too slow and heavy to play baseball" -- who are these scouts that seemingly havent watched the game of baseball before? Slow and heavy players thrive in baseball. Like you said at the beginning "See ball. Hit ball".

[@trerossi5508]

that was back in the day when athleticism was highly valued because power hitting wasnt stressed like it is now. nowadays, guys like albert pujols(who athlete wise has no business playing a professional sport) are able to put up such good numbers because power is more highly valued now.

[@smokeymchaggis73]

@@trerossi5508 He signed in '93. The same year a team that was basically a glorified softball team dominated the national league. 😄 I think it was literally the complete opposite of what you are saying. They did not value athleticism as highly then as now. This was a era where downing pizza and a half case of beer between double headers was common place.

[@GeeEm1313]

Daniel Vogelbach says hi.

[@unkledoda420]

@@smokeymchaggis73 do you think that aren't players now who are downing pizza and beer between games?

[@orangezapinator7450]

Well it’s not better to be slow and heavy because it’s harder to be a base runner and play good defense but if you are a good hitter it makes up for it

[@tinypoolmodelshipyard]

vlad was my favorite player growing up. The gem of the Expos

[@dilated2020]

i always respected how he never wore batting gloves

[@jcvandamme6343]

Expos scouting has got to be the greatest in history, the amount of players they discovered is extraordinary, it’s a real shame they couldn’t keep them.

[@covetprice]

Professional athletes are definitely in a league of their own.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

Between 01-02, Vlad Sr had a combined 77 SBs. Thats about 42% of his carer total. Thats honestly the most random outburst of stolen bases I've ever seen. I honestly wish we had more guys going for a ton of stolen bases. Back in the 90s and 2000s, you'd generally see at least one of 30/30 a year. Now that rarely happens as J-Rod is the only one even close to getting to it this year.

[@thetexanshurtme]

Kyle Tucker has 27 homers this year He also has 22 SBs, with only 3 CS. He could get 30/30 if he attempted more steals

[@victorunger]

@@thetexanshurtme that’s the point MLB today only cares about the HR. It’s gotten to the point MLB is changing rules to combat the imbalance win play. There are more SO than hits per game. So now you really can’t afford to lose a guy to a stolen base. Averages dropped so much, MLB banned the shift. I hate it now. People think Judge is good, when he’s the last hitter you want up in a clutch situation. He’s 4 times likelier to strikeout than hit a home run, 2x just for a hit. It’s insane. It’s not the scrappy game I grew up playing and watching.

[@flamingbull3438]

More singles, bigger bags = smaller base paths. More stolen bases to come, I think

[@CAUGHT_U_LACKIN]

@@flamingbull3438 right you are bro.

[@MetFanMac]

Over the past five years there have been a total of nine instances of a player stealing 40+ bases. There were eight players with 40+ stolen bases in 2013 alone. The last time ten different players stole 40+ bases in a season was 2006. There were five instances of a player with 60+ stolen bases in the 2010s (and none so far in the '20s), compared with twelve in the '00s, seventeen in the '90s, and thirty-six in the '80s. Since 2015, it's been possible to steal fewer than 30 bases and still make it into the top 10 in the majors (not the league, the *majors*). The last time this happened was in 1981. The last time this happened in a non-strike-shortened season was *1971*. Update: Jon Berti's 41 stolen bases are the lowest total to lead the majors in a 162-game season since Luis Aparicio and Maury Wills stole 40 apiece in 1963.

[@spartacus778]

the only safe place to pitch Vlad was underground, and I'm not 100% certain of that what a legend

[@bkg5494]

Vlad’s grandpa jog is iconic 😂

[@LancerJak]

He’s obviously a meta human and have skills beyond normal sacks of potatos we humans are. He’s literally stupidly amazing at his craft. So blessed to have watched him play.

[@fishingthelist4017]

The "you don't walk off the island" approach to hitting that Dominican players had when they first started to get the attention of big league scouts had an influence on Vlad. Their plate discipline was not good, but they could still hit.

[@Xenlacasa45]

It’s crazy how his son is the complete opposite he has better plate discipline than his vlad sr

[@vaughnmild7563]

Montreal scouting system was top notch! Great video

[@victorunger]

It’s always the small market teams that find the talent, big markets buy it.

[@vaughnmild7563]

@@victorunger Quite aware of this. Their people were better than other small market teams is all. Go down this list.. It pretty amazing

[@johnnyv.5142]

He'd swing at everything and still hit for average and power! in Anaheim, he once hit a ball that bounced in the dirt in front of home plate and drove it over the left field fence! Always had that big smile on his face!

[@mauiskywalker808]

This video is VERY well done. The intro scene and explanation is spot on. I have seen this at bat before but never knew the guy scored from first and he ended up on 2nd. Great at bat from one of the greatest hitters ever to play. Love that his son made the big league and is putting up numbers similar to his name sake. Well done Guerrero boys.

[@phillefebvre9599]

The 2003 Expos... Such a great team that was fun to watch.

[@davidcook680]

I had his Expos jersey as a kid. One of my all time favorite players.

[@marzelsimmons8708]

Such a underrated player I feel like but look at the stats hes a absolute stud. Dude was 1 hr away from a 40/40 season. Crazy thing is he probably had at least 1 or 2 great season left in him dude retired after a season he hit .290 with 163 hits

[@tibalt966]

Vlad was my favorite player growing up. Part of me is sad his numbers not going to be retired by the Angels because he absolutely deserves it

[@davidmartinez52420]

I forget what year, but he hit a home run in an All Star game that was about shoulder high and 6"-8" outside. It's briefly shown at the 13:41 mark.

[@TheTEN24]

Love watching Vlad play he was such a cool and unique player and it’s exciting to see his son thrive as well

[@hbsea4698]

The best channel strikes again boys. lets goooooooooo

[@CharmCityGamer]

Both Guerreros are beasts!

[@adamdavis2760]

Think about what the expos could have done if this was back before free agency and players stick with their teams the 94 team had Marquise Grissom, Cliff Floyd, Mousies Alou, Rondell White, Larry Walker Pedro Martinez John Wetland and Randy Johnson, Jeff Fassaro and Ken Hill. Vlad would have come up 3 years later and you woulld have had Walker, Alou and Vlad all in the same outfield ...I didnt even include Andres Galaraga or Andre Dawson ....Damn the Expos had some talent

[@hubertsumlin9697]

One of my all time favorite players! Thanks for the video

[@Cindoreye]

Though I was never a fan of the teams he played for, Guerrero was a guy I always enjoyed watching. The borderline overly aggressive way he hit, ran, and threw was always entertaining and, as can bee seen by the fact he's in the hall of fame, it was also very effective. He had some of the best hand-eye coordination of anyone I've seen not named Tony Gwynn. The first time I saw his son was when Sr. had Jr. out on an MLB field and was having him hit soft toss in the outfield. He look somewhere between 10 and 12 years old I remember telling a friend that Jr. certainly had the genes to be an MLB player and by training with his Dad he'd have a good chance going far in baseball. Now, here we are with Jr. playing so well for the Blue Jays, though he still has lot of ground to cover to reach the heights of his father.

[@Xenlacasa45]

This is great it’s about time someone made a detailed video about this.

[@CrackSkellington]

Another banger. The strike zone pun was such a good mic drop. Had me stun locked

[@stop....hammertime]

Watching this after the fights. Thanks!

[@DAatDA]

Vlad is possibly the most entertaining player to watch all-time.

[@jeffjones8866]

I loved vlad and now I enjoy watching his son play.

[@zeldafreak1975]

I was always a fan of the impalor. Great ballplayer.

[@SkilesHasFun]

Those late 1990's Expos teams are a fun, yet heartbreaking exercise in "what if."

[@cooperwolfe5478]

Yeah I definitely agree. Even before Guerrero started playing for the Expos they had a great team in 1994.

[@captainjack8319]

Cool video-this is a thought I’ve often had.

[@davidjohnson6611]

He and Dustin Pedroia were the best hand to ball hitters of the last 30 or 40 years what they lacked in technique they made up for with hand and bat speed Guerrero Sr was an impossible out many times great video thank you!

[@thealternative9580]

Uhhh Derek Jeter

[@kevins90sc]

Altuve is a pain in the A** to our team.But much respect to him.

[@yoholmes273]

VLAD was The Man , without a doubt. However the the real best worst ball hitter in baseball history is the great Yogi Berra.

[@kkutzz]

One of the most unique players to ever play the game swung at a lot of pitches…had over .400 obp I wanna say twice maybe even 3x in his career lifetime.318 average rbi machine all while swinging at straight garbage which had absolutely no affect on his career lol it’s honestly amazing it’s like he knew something we didn’t

[@danflorio834]

Also in that Guerrero bounce clip the left fielders name is Pie 🥧 a work of art

[@Pablito46]

"You know... think outside the box." I see what ya did there. 👏👏👏

[@tupapachu]

Thumbnail is amazing. Good work.

[@RythymBeast]

Great stuff!

[@jeremystear201]

Big Daddy Vladdy! So much fun watching him destroy the rangers back in the day.

[@patrickcarrillo714]

I grew up watching Big Daddy when he was in Anaheim

[@bonn1771]

Vlad was fun to watch!!! when he was in Montreal loved it

[@jevitigre]

Of the four Dominican players in the HOF Guerrero is the one that in the DR people berely discuss about his career, here we have the eternal discussion about Pedro and Marichal, we know about the greatness of the two pitchers, most of us saw the great career of the Big Papi David Ortiz but about Guerrero we barely talk about it

[@Xenlacasa45]

We talk about Guererro as the man that can hit any pitch but I think him playing west coast had a lot to do with us not talking about him as much as Pedro

[@danielkoucky7680]

The Expos have to win some award for most wasted talent.

[@KeyDash753]

They were stacked in that strike shortened year, that was heartbreaking.

[@sergelevesque2718]

The Expos' talent was never wasted. A lot of them ended up winning championships... on other teams!

[@bong3108]

I remember thinking his first year with the Angels he would become MVP. Then, it happened! 😮

[@brianryden6045]

Game 6 2010 ALCS Vlad hits a 2 run rbi double. The entire stadium erupts VLAAAAD! Still gives me chills thinking about it.

[@allainangcao28]

The Vladdy Golf Single is perhaps one of the most replayed clips in modern baseball... 😂

[@yell0wberry]

If it wasn’t for his partying ways, Carlos Baerga could have been the second best bad ball hitter in baseball

[@foramoreperfectamerica8490]

There was a third part to see ball hit ball, it was run like crazy.

[@garryharris3777]

Cladding reminded me of Manny Sanguillen. Both were very successful and swung at bad pitches.

[@brayancanela9788]

Man you have make my year I have seen many videos about how VG was Capable of hitting rye ball lake that and on my mind I’m lake bc I play rye plaquita when he was litter not even esp to my knowledge have mentioned that good vd

[@SpenyGreenwoodie]

Great video

[@jonahfalcon1970]

Yogi Berra has the crown of bad ball hitting.

[@TheScrubExpress]

Pitcher watching that first hit: Wait! That's illegal!

[@philmckay9973]

When he was in Montreal. He took a benign swing that would land in front of the LF….it kept going and went over the lower stands. No power swing line drive homerun lol😂

[@MultiTasker888]

I know I’m not on that level, but back in my playing days I was the only one on the team permitted to swing at literanything, from above my head to my feet if I hit it, it went for a ride 😂 for some reason I had some good contact with balls up high at head level

[@KevNYK]

Imagine hitting .290 and retiring. Just goes to show how good he really was.

[@SilhouetteLifter]

12:22 "his batting average of .290 was the lowest of his career" BRUH

[@estern001]

Vlad is my favorite baseball player. God bless Vlad!

[@ronsblahblah]

Ritired for hitting.290. Hitters today would kill for a .290

[@aaronfoley7763]

Even as Red Sox fan he was one of my favorite players to watch

[@evanwrenn402]

How was he not 1st ballot HOF?

[@roywall8169]

One of the many greats to begin his career in Montreal.

[@MikePerf0]

I don’t understand the link with the snow footage. It’s not like Vlad stayed in Montréal in rhe middle of winter time…

[@2xmuchxsupreme]

He hit .300 every season but his last in Baltimore were he still hit .290

[@bb.cute.channel]

His son is an MVP!

[@bdbd1390]

I love watching this man, just not against my A's haha

[@Anthony-qg3qo]

in 94 when they had the strike, it should have been the Jays & Expos at the World Series in 94

[@thesean3194]

Vlad the man just doing what he used to do. See ball hit ball. Nothing more to analyze here. Most entertaining hitter during his years.

[@juliogeorge2369]

I used to play in the streets of my Dominican Republic with a sock ball too I even learn hot to make it . The good Ollie days

[@NN-oz6rr]

One of my favorite players ever

[@patricknoonan3610]

A just enough wild but, balanced swing. For how not many can do that he is on his own, short list of that type of mlb talent.

[@jimmyjames6704]

CRICKET in the streets as a boy. That’s how you become the bad ball hitting 🐐

[@dbacksfan09]

Man, he was fun to watch.

[@75dobs]

This was fucking great. Thank you for this deep dive.

[@j95lee]

Some scouts also felt that Pedro was not durable due to his thin frame. They were also proven wrong on that count. MLB used to have very distinct style and personality. Vlad, Johnny damon, nomar, Paul O’Neil, manny, just to name a few. There were also some entertaining head cases like Yasiel puig. Now everyone has the same approach at the plate thanks to statcast. Some sort of barbershop quartet look is popular and everyone hits .240.

[@99bimmer]

He would've actually been the 3rd member of the 40/40 club. Interestingly, Alfonso Soriano just missed it that year too, but he later got it a few years later

[@ericl1332]

As an expos fan, this feels great as much as it hurts. You can't imagine how much I wish we had that downtown ballpark, to follow suit of legends like Jackie Robinson, Rusty Stub, Tim Rains, Garry Carter, Moises and Philipe Alou, Pedro Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero.

[@emiliobriones5700]

The legend of always swing the bat

[@LouisEmery]

I saw him one time in Ottawa while he was in the minor leagues the year before he joined the Expos. Couldn't afford major league tickets in those days. Still can't. Attendance and $10 beer is for rich people.

[@D0ugh.B0y]

Vlad think he was playing cricket or something? 😂 🤣

[@haydenandhayden]

See I got the discipline of Guerrero but that is the only part of my hitting that is similar to a hall of gamer

[@mattu4934]

ok

[@BossRossTube]

Really enjoyed watch him swing to swing an tear the cover off the ball good times

[@Arassar]

The guy turned a pitch that BOUNCED into an RBI double. What a madman. (Yes, I know he got second from the throwing error. But he's still a madman.)

[@jimmyjames6704]

Typical cricket drive. He played it growing up

[@dirtface5923]

my favorite player

[@fredericb.7061]

Vlad est un Expos ❤

[@CinoG2G]

The bounce hit😂😂😂😂😂

[@nickjoseph6094]

This video had like 40 commercials lol

[@chicagof40phakahenry19]

You sound like my favorite KZbinr Gaming Historian

[@ikefromsmashbros9237]

His legacy lives on in Salvador Perez 😤

[@iceman5552]

Umm no not even close

[@xMtF54x]

Dude almost went 40 40. Hes a legend before he got old lmao

[@cappy2282]

Vlad was so fun to watch