The town of Wadesboro in North Carolina is 2,768 miles away from Vallejo, or about 41 hours by car.

That didn”t stop Jeff Knotts from reaching out to the Vallejo Admirals and field manager Pedro Guerrero.

Knotts, 48, mailed about 1,300 Guerrero baseball cards to the Admirals recently after finding out that the former Los Angeles Dodger and St. Louis Cardinal had joined the organization. Guerrero, 56, who played 15 seasons in the big leagues, will be the Admirals field manager in their inaugural 2013 pro baseball season.

“I thought if I gave them to him, he could have them or give them to his family or friends,” Knotts said by telephone on Thursday. “Either that or I thought he could sign them and give them to kids at the ballpark. It wasn”t that I didn”t want them anymore.”

Knotts said his father was a big Dodgers fan growing up and he began admiring Guerrero during the “Game of the Week” telecasts.

“I just loved the way he hit,” Knotts said. “He was never a great defensive player but I loved to watch him hit.”

Knotts said even though he never got to see Guerrero or the Dodgers play in person, he did mail Guerrero baseball cards and had them signed and returned. Knotts said he would buy packs of baseball cards as well as sets and also collected them at trade shows.

After Guerrero”s playing days were over, Knotts said he occasionally Googled his favorite player to see what he was doing.

Knotts was such a huge Guerrero fan that a Charlotte, N.C., sports radio talk show began referring to him as “Pedro” on the air. He said people occasionally still refer to him that way.

While he still likes the Dodgers, University of North Carolina Tar Heels are still Knotts” main passion. He said he attended about five football and basketball games each last season.

Guerrero is expected to be in Vallejo today for the first time. He will be introduced at a press conference on Wednesday.

“It sounds like he”s worked hard to bounce back,” Knotts said. “I hope it works out for him.”

The Admirals will begin their spring training in Vallejo on May 19, and open the season on the road in Arizona on May 31.