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Vladimir Guerrero

As Vladimir Guerrero eyes Hall of Fame, his family tree strengthens in Dominican

Jorge L. Ortiz
USA TODAY

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Vladimir Guerrero was the star attraction of the home run derby in last week’s Caribbean Series, not only capturing the fans’ attention but also drawing a host of players from the Cuban team who wanted their photos taken with the former American League MVP.

Guerrero Jr., left, and Guerrero Sr.

Guerrero showed the rust accumulated during his four-year absence from the game by bowing out in the first round of the competition, but hours earlier his son, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., had provided the latest indication the family name figures to endure in baseball circles for years to come.

In this year’s first scrimmage at the Toronto Blue Jays baseball academy, 20 miles east of Santo Domingo, Vladimir Jr. launched a home run and made a sparkling defensive play as he continues his transformation from outfielder to third baseman after commanding a $3.9 million signing bonus in July.

That evening at Estadio Quisqueya, he joined cousins Jose and Gregory Guerrero, both New York Mets prospects, and cousin Gabby Guerrero — who played in Class AA last season — to watch Vladimir Sr. take his hacks.

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As memories of Vladimir’s considerable big-league exploits fade, the family’s next generation of baseball players is making its way in pro ball in what looms as a big year for the Guerrero clan.

Vladimir Jr., who turns 17 on March 16, is about to head out for his first spring training in Florida. Gabby, a 22-year-old outfielder who played in the 2014 Futures Game, is on a 40-man roster for the first time, with the Arizona Diamondbacks. And his brother Josue, a 16-year-old outfielder, is expected to sign a professional contract when the next eligibility period begins July 2.

In November, Vladimir Sr. will make his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, hoping to become the first Dominican position player to be elected, joining pitching countrymen Juan Marichal and Pedro Martinez.

Guerrero’s enshrinement in Cooperstown would acknowledge a career that produced 449 home runs, a .931 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and a half-dozen top-10 MVP finishes. Yet he and his family’s impact on the game — and their home country — might only be in its infancy.

“It feels good to see some more Guerreros possibly on their way to the big leagues,” said Vladimir Sr., the third in a line of four brothers — behind Eleazar and Wilton and ahead of Julio Cesar — to play professionally. “I’m proud to have three nephews and a son who have signed as pros.”

The Dominican Republic has a distinguished history of accomplished baseball players springing from the same family, most notably the Alous, who sent brothers Felipe, Matty and Jesus to the majors, along with Moises (Felipe’s son) and his cousin, Mel Rojas. Pitching brothers Pascual, Carlos and Melido Perez all spent several years in the big leagues.

The Guerreros as a group haven’t attained that level of success, but their proliferation stands out. “We don’t know why there’s so many,” Gabby said. “We just know it’s a family with a lot of ballplayers, and we want it to continue growing that way.”

While oldest brother Eleazar, now 43, never made it beyond the Dominican Summer League, Wilton played eight years in the majors — four of them as Vladimir’s teammate with the Montreal Expos — and Julio Cesar landed the biggest signing bonus among the brothers, $750,000 from the Boston Red Sox in 1997. He didn’t advance past Class A.

Almost unanimously, the brothers regard the family’s baseball prowess as a blessing from God, but others see factors beyond that as well. Family matriarch Altagracia Alvino, who used to cook for Vladimir and his teammates when he was in the majors, had a major role in her sons’ dedication to the game, according to Los Angeles Angels broadcaster Jose Mota.

“She would tell them, ‘If you’re going to do something, give it your full effort, go 100%,’” said Mota, who is close with Vladimir, the 2004 AL MVP with the Angels.

That commitment is evident when Wilton conducts a tryout under a broiling sun on an all-dirt field at the Guerrero Family Baseball Academy, with about 20 teenagers displaying their skills for scouts representing three MLB teams as goats meander by the cement outfield fence.

Wilton Guerrero is a boisterous presence at the Guerrero Family Baseball Academy in Don Gregorio, Dominican Republic.

Wilton, who runs twice-daily practices, cajoles, chides and exhorts the youngsters, telling one of them, “If you follow my guidance, you’re going to become a ballplayer.”

Among several prospects who clear the fence during batting practice, 14-year-old outfielder Bryan Asencio stands out with a powerful swing that sprays line drives. He already stands 6-2 and has his eyes on July 2, 2017, when he’ll be eligible to sign.

“I’m hoping to get a favorable bonus so I can help my family,” he said.

Other hopefuls at the tryout include two of Wilton’s nephews, which is nothing new. He also has been the main coach for the nephews who have gone on to pro ball — his own sons play but are still young kids — and started working with Vladimir Jr. when he was 6.

That training and his natural ability — Vladimir Jr.’s swing reminds observers of the way his dad attacked the ball — combined to make him one of the hottest commodities in last year’s international market for amateurs.

Alex Anthopoulos, the Blue Jays’ general manager until late October, said he first saw Vladimir Jr. as a 14-year-old at the team’s Dominican complex and was blown away by his hitting prowess, which some compare favorably with fellow Dominican Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins.

“I remember standing there with (assistant GM) Tony LaCava and he said, ‘I don’t know how to scout 14-year-olds,’’’ Anthopoulos recalled. “Then we watch him step into the cage and he’s hitting balls off the batters’ eye in center field. He hit balls over the roof. It was a great swing. It was loose. It was easy. My jaw just dropped with that raw power.’’

Less than two years later, the Blue Jays gave Guerrero the largest bonus they’ve ever handed out to any non-Cuban amateur. Anthopoulos said the commitment amounted to close to $5 million once the penalties for going over their assigned limit were factored in, but they believed the investment was warranted because of his combination of talent – especially the contact skills for a slugger – desire and makeup.

“Certainly, there are no guarantees,’’ Anthopoulos acknowledged. “Hopefully he makes the big leagues and lives up to his promise. It’s exciting if he does become the player you think he can be.’’

The financial outlay pretty much assures Junior a ticket to the U.S., which by itself makes him a minority among players at the academy. This is the first step in a weeding-out process that will leave the vast majority of prospects well short of the majors.

With his celebrated bloodlines, hitting ability and sizable bonus, Vladimir Jr. figures to be an exception, yet he mingles easily with his Blue Jays stablemates. When a teammate reacts to his diving snag of a grounder by saying, “Hey, Vlad, that ass is moving quickly,’’ Guerrero Jr. takes the ribbing with a smile.

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Some scouts have expressed concerns about Vladimir Jr.’s heavy-set body and his fielding skills, but few dispute that he can hit. Wilton deems him twice as talented as his dad, and Pablo Cruz, the Blue Jays’ field coordinator in their academy, said he exudes a love of the game that can’t be taught.

“He dives after the ball as if he were a kid who signed for $2,000,” Cruz said. “He’s got great hunger and enthusiasm. I think his passion for the game is even bigger than his dad’s.”

And he has more patience at the plate than his notoriously bad-ball-hitting father.

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“It’s not going to be the same as me because he takes a lot of pitches, which I didn’t do, but I like how he swings the bat,” elder Vladimir said. “I’m pleased that they compare him to me at that age. When I was (16), I never hit home runs like he does.”

The nine-time All-Star stops by the Guerrero Academy on occasion and dispenses some advice, but the bulk of the work is done by Wilton with some help from Julio Cesar. The academy is one of several businesses the family owns in the small town of Don Gregorio, part of the Nizao municipality (population 40,000) on the country’s southern coast.

The other family enterprises, mostly run by Eleazar, include a cement-block factory, a mini-market, a small fish market and produce and chicken farms. Eleazar estimates they employ about 15 people regularly, plus another 20-30 seasonal agricultural workers.

“We’re constantly helping people out, as long as we’re able to,” said Eleazar, who sings in the local church with Wilton. “It’s good to have these kind of enterprises that help people earn their daily bread.”

The Guerrero family employs more than 15 people in their hometown of Don Gregorio.

Mota is more effusive, saying the Guerrero family has transformed Don Gregorio, a humble town of winding streets dotted with one-story cinder-block houses where a local is just as likely to jump inside a car to guide a visitor to his destination than to give directions. Julio Cesar Guerrero’s face is splattered on signs all over town endorsing a candidate for mayor.

Vladimir Guerrero made more than $125 million in a 16-year career that most likely will earn him induction into the Hall of Fame, yet he and his family never felt compelled to move somewhere bigger and more prosperous.

“They’ve had a great socioeconomic impact on Don Gregorio,” Mota said. “Vladimir built this huge house on a hill, and he comes down and joins them in cooking a goat for a meal, playing dominoes, hanging out with the guys at a bar. It means a lot for the people in the town that he stayed there.”

Wilton Guerrero concurs, noting that he’d “rather be a prince in my house than try to be a king elsewhere. We’re at peace here, know the people. When somebody’s born, when they grow up, when they have kids, we know who they are. Also when they die. Most of the people here are family, so we feel comfortable.”

And it’s a source of pride as well for Vladimir Guerrero, who is wary of strangers and prefers to surround himself with people who knew him before he became a major league superstar.

He looks around at the multiplication of Guerreros in the pro ranks and finds validation in his decision to stay close to home.

“My nephews saw their uncle had what he had, and he never moved,” he said. “I think that’s the best message I could send them. They can accomplish some of the things I did and still stay in the same town.”

Contributing: Bob Nightengale

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