Guerrero Always Ready to Turn His Swing Into Action

With the count no balls and two strikes, Pete Harnisch trusted his split-finger pitch. If the batter chased a bad ball, good for Harnisch. If not, nothing wrong with one ball and two strikes.

This was a bad ball, a really bad ball. It landed on the edge of the turf, in front of the batter’s box and well in front of home plate.

No matter. Vladimir Guerrero swung away, connecting with the ball on the short hop and driving it to the outfield wall at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.

In disbelief, his manager, Felipe Alou, turned to bench coach Jim Tracy.

“Hey, Trace,� Alou said, “did that ball bounce?�

“Yes,� Tracy said, “once before he hit it and once after he hit it.�

On any given night, the Angels’ $70-million man can be Roy Hobbs come to life. Guerrero is the headline attraction at the team’s first fan festival, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Angel Stadium.

Most players will be available for autographs and photographs, including 2002 World Series standouts Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad, Troy Percival and Tim Salmon. The buzz nonetheless surrounds Guerrero, the Angels’ prize catch in free agency and a superstar whose feats can inspire awe.

In a game against the Angels last season, Salmon slipped rounding first base, and Guerrero threw him out from right field before he could get up.

Salmon can no longer suffer that indignity, not with Guerrero on his team. After seven spectacular if relatively anonymous seasons with the Montreal Expos, his reputation precedes him.

“If you take your eye off him for one minute, you’ll miss something incredible,� said Chicago Cub catcher Michael Barrett, who played the last five seasons in Montreal.

Guerrero doesn’t bother to wear batting gloves. He doesn’t bother to listen to scouting reports, either.

“He doesn’t need to,� said Alou, now manager of the San Francisco Giants. “He’s a natural. He’s incredible. He’s as natural as they come.�

Angel broadcaster Jose Mota told a story from Guerrero’s rookie season in 1997, when Mota tried to win an infield job with the Expos in spring training. As pitcher John Hudek entered an exhibition game for the Houston Astros, Alou walked down the Montreal bench, warning his players about how hard Hudek threw.

Guerrero accelerated his swing, popped up, returned to the dugout and sat next to Mota.

“I wish I hadn’t heard Felipe say that,� Guerrero told Mota. “I didn’t think he was throwing that hard.�

That confidence fuels Guerrero, at times extending his play from aggressive to reckless. He swings at bad pitches, because he can hit them. He can run, but he might run his team out of an inning. He has the most assists -- and errors -- of any National League right fielder over the last four seasons.

“It got to a point where they gained so much respect for his arm, they realized they can’t challenge it,� said Tracy, now the Dodger manager. “He may have gotten a little careless, laying back because he wanted somebody to run on him.�

Still, he is scary good now, and getting better. Guerrero turned 28 on Monday, with statistics comparable to those of Hall of Famer Willie Mays at the same age. Alou has precious little advice for American League pitching coaches wondering how to get Guerrero out.

“You hope the line drive he hits is at someone,� Alou said.

Guerrero never has hit below .300. In each of the past two seasons, he has more walks than strikeouts. In 2002, he fell one home run short of membership in the 40-homer, 40-stolen base club.

In 2003, he sat out 39 games because of a back injury. Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman says he does not expect Guerrero to run with abandon. The back is fine, Guerrero says, but he has experienced tightness in his legs during winter workouts. He’ll take it easy on his legs for two to three months, he says, but he still can steal 30 bases.

On pure skills, Barrett takes Guerrero over Alex Rodriguez.

“A-Rod grew up playing baseball,� Barrett said. “Vladi had to work to support his family.

“I really feel like his God-given ability sets him apart from everybody else. What he’s capable of doing is unmatched in every aspect of the game.�

The Expos signed him at 16. He made his major league debut at 20. The polish still is being applied.

“What he’s done to this point is pretty phenomenal,� Tracy said. “Are there more plateaus he’s capable of? The answer to that is yes.�