Vlad won 3 consecutive silver sluggers, 3 all star nods and an MVP on Anaheim immediately after he left the Expos. He made the playoffs 4 of his 5 seasons with the Angels. There's certainly a healthy debate on which team "put him in the Hall"- the homer in me (Vlad was my childhood hero; him going to the angels was one of my big childhood heartbreaks, along with losing the Expos) says he should've gone in as an Expo- his statline was stronger, he was far more valuable to the city of Montreal than he was to Anaheim/LA, his stretch from ~'92-2002 is one of the most dominating offensive runs in recent history, and so on. On the other hand, he achieved more accolades with the angels. If you want to be great, you need awards, and you need post season apps, both of which he got in LA.
As a turn of the century Expos fan, I also know that two other things that may have impacted his decision is that 1) Expos management has some reputation for not treating their players well- I know that Gary Carter wanted to go in as a Met in part because the mets "treated him better", and I'm also sure despite being a great city, playing for the Expos in their last days might not have been a great thrill, especially compared to playing for the Angels who were still close to their peak. Secondly, the reality is that LA is a current MLB team, and the Expos no longer exist, and have not for 14 years. Much as Vlad is the last great player from Montreal, he's also LA's first hall of famer, and I think if MLB had a hand in deciding his cap, which I assume they did, there's virtually no incentive for them to have Vlad represent Montreal, while there is an incentive to get an Angel in the HOF.
So basically, he did "step it up" and become a bigger star on the Angels, but there's a reasonable argument for getting him in as an Expo. I think a lot of this decision has to do with more than just his statline. Disappointed he didn't go in as an Expo, but I'm glad he still somewhat keeps ties with the community here.
Also, as a homer, I will not for even an instant be told that Vald didn't hit 40/40 that one year where his 40th off the scoreboard was called a foul ball or something.
Baseball, like Golf is really a sport you have to "understand" to appreciate watching. Even though batters only hit "half the time" (really, it's closer to a quarter of the time, if they're lucky) hockey players score under 1/10th of the time they shoot the puck. That said, understanding what makes a pitcher great, how great defensive teams position themselves and run defensive plays, how good batters read pitches, run out extra bases and turn a lot of nothing into good offense is really interesting. But it's not like hockey or football where you can tune in and get hooked instantly.
