Former Montreal Expos right fielder Vladimir Guerrero is headed to the baseball Hall of Fame.

Guerrero was a nine-time All-Star and the 2004 AL MVP with the Anaheim Angels. He hit .318 with 449 homers and 1,496 RBIs in 16 big league seasons.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Guerrero played 16 seasons in the MLB, starting his career playing in Montreal from 1996 to 2003. The outfielder and designated hitter also played for the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles before retiring in 2011.

The 42-year-old becomes the youngest current Hall of Famer.

He is the third Dominican to make it to Cooperstown, joining his countrymen Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez.

Guerrero was voted in with 92.9 per cent of the ballots. A minimum of 75 per cent was required to be admitted.

This was his second year of eligibility: In 2017, he had missed the title by only 15 votes.

Guerrero’s batting average puts him in the company of baseball greats like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams – but in Guerrero’s case, he was known to swing at everything, even balls that bounced in front of the plate.

Guerrero, known for wearing mismatched shoes, was signed by Expos scout Fred Ferreira for $2,500 after seeing him at a trying camp in the Dominican Republic.

It is not known yet known whether he will become the last elected Expo or the first member of the Anaheim Angels to be admitted.

Guerrero will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 29, along with Chipper Jones, Jim Thome - both elected in their first year of eligibility - and Trevor Hoffman.

Guerrero said in a tweet that he appreciated the honour.

 


The news was enough to get former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre to tweet again for the first time since the municipal election:
 



- With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press