Los Angeles Angels’ Mount Rushmore

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero was one of my favorite baseball players growing up. Although I only caught the later half of his career, the man was an iconic and took the “swing away” philosophy to an entire different level. The 2004 American League Most Valuable Player played in the big leagues from 1996 to 2011. Despite only playing on the Halos from 2004-2009, the time he did spend with the Angels was fantastic. Much like Trout, Guerrero had a dominant run with the Angels that leads to his inclusion on this list.

Guerrero may only be the 11th best player in terms of WAR, but the impact he had was unparalleled. The only thing holding Guerrero down was his fielding, as they struggled to live up to statistical average. The lowest batting average Guerrero had in one season in Anaheim was .295, the least amount of home runs being 15. Outside of that 2009 season Guerrero managed to always bat over .300 and to always slug 27 or more home runs.

After narrowly missing the Hall of Fame on his first year on the ballot Guerrero will almost indefinitely make it in within three years. When he does, he will likely go in as an Angel as he signed a one day contract to retire an Angel. A pioneer for free swinging baseball players, Vladimir Guerrero has done a lot not only for the Los Angeles Angels but for every Dominican Republic baseball player.