The Long Island Ducks are known for their stunt signings with players and they were at it again on Friday, as Vladimir Guerrero signed a contract with the team to try and make a baseball comeback in the independent league.
According to ESPN.com, Guerrero has signed a one-year deal with the team and it was announced by his agent, Greg Maroni of California Sports Management, said Friday. Guerrero will play in the independent Atlantic League, which is a far cry from the majors he knows so well. Newsday reports that Dontrelle Willis is also signing with the team after washing out of the majors after years with the Marlins and Tigers.
Guerrero was considered one of the best hitters in baseball for a stretch and won the MVP award in 2004 while with the Angels. He played for the Orioles last and started his career with the Expos. Willis signed with the team one day after Guerrero, according to a report from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
Willis has had issues with control over his career and he also had anxiety issues. He started off fantastic with the Marlins and was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2003 and finished second in Cy Young Award balloting after going 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA.
Guerrero was one of baseball's best hitters, hitting over .300 in each of his seasons apart from three and also going a stretch where he had over 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in eight of nine seasons. He is a .318 career hitter with 449 home runs and 2,590 hits in 16 years in the majors and he was weighing options like playing in Taiwan and with Quebec in the Can-Am League.
"I grew up with the Montreal Expos and played there for almost 10 years," Guerrero said in a statement. "The fans [in Quebec] are my friends. However, my ultimate goal is to make it back to the major leagues and attempt to reach 500 home runs as soon as possible."
