Nats may not have to wait as long as Angels for first Hall of Famer

Vladimir Guerrero surprised some people this week when he (with the Hall of Fame's consent) decided his soon-to-be-made plaque for Cooperstown will feature him wearing an Angels cap. Guerrero actually spent more time during his career playing in Montreal (eight seasons) than he did playing in Anaheim (six), with one season apiece spent at the very end with the Rangers and Orioles. But the outfielder noted that he won his lone MVP award and made five of his six career postseason appearances while with the Angels.

What was especially notable about that decision, though, was the fact that Guerrero now will become the very first Hall of Famer to be wearing an Angels cap on his plaque.

This is hardly some new major league franchise; the Angels have been in existence for 57 seasons. Nor is it a franchise that hasn't enjoyed success (one World Series title, 10 postseason berths) or lacked star power (Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols).

It goes to show you, though, how common it is for fans of a particular franchise to have to endure through decades of heartbreak before finally enjoying special moments like championships or Hall of Fame inductions. Both the Astros (founded in 1962) and Mariners (founded in 1977) waited until 2015 for their first Hall of Famers. The Royals (founded in 1969) have only George Brett. The Padres (also founded in 1969) had only Tony Gwynn until Trevor Hoffman's election this week.

There are now only three MLB franchises yet to be featured on a Hall of Fame plaque, all recent expansion franchises: the Rockies (founded in 1993), Marlins (also 1993) and Rays (1998). Miami and Tampa Bay can at least boast Hall of Famers who spent small portions of their careers in their respective uniforms (Ivan Rodriguez, Wade Boggs).

The Rockies can't even boast that, left instead to hope Larry Walker can make the leap from only 34 percent to 75 percent in the two years he has remaining on the Baseball Writers' Association of American Hall of Fame ballot, or to hope Todd Helton (who will debut on the ballot next year) can garner enough support for induction someday.

What about the Nationals? Well, officially the franchise is already well-represented in Cooperstown, with Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines all wearing Expos caps on their plaques. (Yes, MLB still considers the Expos and Nationals to be one franchise, with continuous service since 1969. Sorry.)

Folks around here, though, just want to know when there will finally be a curly W cap on a Hall of Fame plaque.

Rodriguez last year became the first former Nats player to be inducted, but his two-year stint in D.C. was a minor blip at the end of a remarkable career that included far more memorable stretches in Texas, Miami and Detroit.

We've speculated a lot lately about Max Scherzer, who in winning his third career Cy Young Award in November crossed off a major accomplishment that historically guarantees a spot in Cooperstown (unless he gets caught taking performance enhancing drugs). Bryce Harper could theoretically also be in the mix, but only if he decides not to depart as a free agent next winter and only if he can stay healthier than he has been during the first six seasons of his career.

Stephen Strasburg has already signed long-term with the Nationals and boasts the majors' sixth-best ERA (3.07), third-best WHIP (1.081) and second-best strikeout rate (10.54 per nine innings) since he debuted in 2010. We tend to think of the right-hander as having underachieved to date, but that's only when considering the ridiculously high bar set for him at the outset. If he can stay healthy and keep pitching like he has, Strasburg could yet find his way to Cooperstown.

None of those three has locked up anything yet. Each has a long way to go, Harper and Strasburg longer than Scherzer. But that's three legitimate candidates to someday wear a curly W cap into Cooperstown, which isn't bad for a franchise that so far has played only 13 seasons in this town.

Keep that in mind this summer when you watch Guerrero's induction speech and scan the crowd to find Angels fans soaking it all in, ecstatic finally to have their very own Hall of Famer after 57 seasons of existence.