Who is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s father? All about former AL MVP's career accomplishments

Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero wasn't concerned with appearances. But what he really left behind was a legacy of strength and productivity.

Guerrero, born on Feb. 9, 1975, in Nizao, Dominican Republic, used a piece of wood as a bat and lemons that had been wrapped in rags as balls when he first started playing. When the Montreal Expos signed him at age 18, he had already made a name for himself as one of baseball's top prospects.

Guerrero played for the Expos, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles over the course of 16 seasons, becoming one of the best bad-ball hitters in the history of the game. He won seven Silver Slugger Awards while doing so.

The third Dominican to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was a lean outfielder who was also endowed with a powerful throwing arm. He followed right-handers Pedro Martinez and Juan Marichal as the first batters in that group, which was appropriate.

Vladimir Guerrero Sr. is a legend of the sport

Vladimir Guerrero Sr. averaged 33 home runs, 100 RBIs and 173 hits during the course of his seven complete seasons with the Expos, and in 2002, he was one home run away from achieving the 40/40 mark in both stolen bases and home runs.

After the 2003 season, he signed a free-agent contract with the Angels, and in 2004, he was the American League MVP after leading the league in runs (124) and total bases (366) with 39 home runs and 126 RBIs.

"Only one Expos player ever hit 30 or more HR`s and stole 30 or more bases in the same season (30/30 Club) That player was Vladimir Guerrero, who actually had two 30/30 Club seasons in Montreal (2001 & 2002)," Jim Koenigsberger tweeted.

Valdimir Guerrero Sr. spent six seasons with the Angels before ending his career in Texas and Baltimore. He announced his retirement after the 2011 season, with a.318 lifetime batting average, 449 home runs, 1,496 RBIs and 2,590 hits. He twice led his league in assists while playing the outfield, was selected to nine All-Star Games and received eight Silver Slugger Awards.

The Dominican outfielder will be remembered for his propensity to hit anything close to the plate (or possibly his inability to lay off pitches out of the zone). He was nevertheless one of the league's most difficult batters to strike out because he could hit almost anything that was thrown in his general area.