The Angels will finally be represented on a plaque in the Hall of Fame.
Vladimir Guerrero announced Thursday he has chosen to be depicted with an Angels cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.
Guerrero chose the Angels over the Montreal Expos — who have since become the Washington Nationals. Guerrero, who was elected to the Hall on Wednesday, spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Expos, followed by six with the Angels.
Although his numbers were slightly better, in quality and quantity, with the Expos, he won an MVP and went to the playoffs five times with the Angels.
Guerrero said the choice was difficult, apparently with the Angels frequent playoff appearances having an impact on his decision.
“I toiled over this for a long time,” Guerrero said, with Angels broadcaster Jose Mota acting as his interpreter. “Canadian people mean a whole lot to me. Picking the Angels means a lot because of what it represents, with all the winning.”
The Angels, who played their first season in 1961, are baseball’s oldest franchise not be represented by a player in the Hall of Fame.
Other Hall of Famers who played significant stretches with the Angels — Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew — are shown on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing other caps.
The Hall of Fame curators maintain final approval over which cap a player wears, but they generally go with the player’s preference if it’s one of the logical choices.
More to come on this story.