He was a throwback to a different era, when batting gloves were shunned and pine tar was a badge of honor.
Vladimir Guerrero wasn’t about style points. What he left behind in substance, however, was a legacy of power and production.
Born Feb. 9, 1975 in Nizao, Dominican Republic, Guerrero played baseball barefoot as a youth, using a stick for a bat and lemons wrapped in rags for balls. He was signed by the Expos at age 18, and quickly established himself as one of baseball’s top prospects.
