Arte Moreno: First Latino owner with a Latino player in the HOF

If Arturo “Arte” Moreno was the first person of color to be the majority owner of a Major League Baseball team, or more to the point, the first Latino majority owner of a major sports franchise in the United States, doesn’t that make the Angels the first team with a Latino owner to have a Latino player enshrined in any Hall of Fame?

Thanks to Vladimir Guerrero’s election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, it is.

And while Moreno will not brag openly about it, you can be certain it gives him enormous satisfaction.

“I am a Latino. Mexicano. Mamá, papá,” Moreno said.

“I always think that I’m American because my family has been here for a long time,” Moreno said. “But mexicano. I’m really proud of the Latinos.”

Moreno, 71, is Mexican-American with roots in Tucson, Ariz., a successful businessman who epitomizes the American Dream.

And despite owning the eighth-most valuable franchise in MLB — valued at $1.75 billion by Forbes.com in 2017 — you rarely read about Moreno. Other than talking to reporters who cover the Angels during the season, he values his privacy and grants few interviews.

Smile worth a thousand words

But Vlad and Moreno’s own love for baseball may have changed all that. Last week, after the Hall of Fame press conference at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City for Guerrero and his fellow inductees — Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman — Moreno spoke to La Vida Baseball for 15 minutes about himself, about Guerrero, and about the moment.

Never was a smile so worth a thousand words.

“It’s a beautiful day for Vlady,” Moreno said. “It’s really a great day for all the Latino people, and the people in the Dominican.”

Moreno is a self-made billionaire from Arizona whose business acumen made him a fortune in outdoor advertising and helped him buy a major league team that under his direction has drawn 3 million fans annually for 15 years running.

Guerrero is a self-made millionaire from Don Gregorio, a small town in the Dominican Republic, whose hitting acumen made him one of the most feared batters of his era and has now taken him all the way to Cooperstown.

Which is why they have more in common than you would think.

“My brothers and I and my dad played baseball. We all played baseball growing up,” Moreno said.

Moreno’s and Guerrero’s shared bonds

Moreno is the oldest of 11 children who grew up in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home. His grandfather started the Spanish-language newspaper El Tucsonense. His father played semi pro ball with Los Aztecas, a renowned regional team from Texas that frequently traveled to Mexico looking for competition. Before attending college, Moreno was drafted and fought in the Vietnam War.

Guerrero is one of nine children. His father disappeared when he was young and his mother worked as a cook and maid in Colombia and Venezuela to support the family. Dan Le Batard once wrote for ESPN The Magazine that Guerrero was so poor that when he when was thirsty, he drank from puddles. To help out, Guerrero stopped going to school after fifth grade and worked in the fields.

If baseball and life is all about the journey, then the Hall of Fame induction in July will be one more shared experience for both Moreno and Guerrero.

“I’d probably walk to Cooperstown if I had to. Wouldn’t we?” Moreno said.

“I think that this is a beginning for Vlady because… he’s going to find out how many people out there watched him and loved him,” Moreno added.

Loving Vlad’s passion

When Moreno bought the Angels from the Walt Disney Company for $184 million in 2003, he immediately cut ticket and beer prices, and instilled a culture of diversity in every facet of the organization, which included installing bilingual signs in the ballpark. In describing his business philosophy, he likes to say, “The fans own the team. I’m the economic caretaker.”

One year later, Moreno signed several high-profile free agents, including pitcher Bartolo Colón and Guerrero, who got $70 million for five years. Guerrero immediately paid dividends, earning the 2004 AL MVP award and taking the Angels to the playoffs. In Guerrero’s six seasons with the Angels, they went to the postseason five times.

And what did Moreno most like about Guerrero’s game?

“His love of the game. The way he played. The smile,” Moreno said. “He was so excited to be there. His personality came out when he went to bat. That was where he belonged. He’s a quiet, conservative person. But when he got on that field, there was another personality that came out.

“I will specifically tell you of one time: We were in a very close game. He is on second base. And the whole crowd is going crazy. They were going to bunt him to third base. The bunt goes down, he comes around to third base, they are trying to stop him, he comes around, slides into home, and we win the game. On a bunt. That was Vlady. Not a home run, on a bunt.”

Today, Moreno roots for another Dominican star who may end up in Cooperstown, Albert Pujols. With Pujols in the twilight of his career, the Angels were relying heavily on star center fielder Mike Trout until Moreno pulled a savvy move this winter in landing the league’s hottest free agent, Japanese pitcher Shohei Ohtani.

Saying hello because ‘It’s family’

When at Angel Stadium, Moreno will put aside his private persona and amble through the stands on game days, greeting fans and asking about their experiences.

“Whenever I get a chance, I always walk over and say ‘hello’ because, to me, it’s family,” Moreno said. “Wherever I go, I always try to greet all people, but especially Latinos, because I always feel they are like brothers and sisters or cuñados (brother-in-laws) or something.”

The concept of family extends to the Angels Baseball Foundation and the Moreno Family Foundation, both which support programs and nonprofit organizations that focus on youth and education.

Moreno grew up in an era when all major league teams were based east of Kansas City and games were broadcast on the radio, not television. He rooted for the Yankees and, as a second baseman himself, adored Bobby Richardson, wearing No. 1 in honor of the Bronx Bombers’ eight-time All-Star.

But as a Latino, he also paid close attention to No. 21 — Roberto Clemente.

“I had favorite players on every team,” Moreno said. “One of my idols was Roberto Clemente. I always remember those over-the-shoulder catches and him spinning around and throwing the ball.

“I was in Europe during my senior year (in college),” Moreno added. “I remember reading in the paper that Roberto Clemente had died going to service people. He was going to Nicaragua to take food. That’s a sad story about him, but he was doing things for his people.

“There’s a lot of people that do a lot of good things. When you think about Roberto Clemente, you think about the way he played. How much he loved his country. How he played and landed on 3,000 (hits), and how the Hall of Fame waived the five-year (rule). Took him immediately into the Hall of Fame. Which was a credit to him and his family and his country.”

Clemente was the first Latino inducted into Cooperstown. Guerrero will be the 14th. And cheering him on in July will be Moreno, the first Latino owner to have a Latino player in the Hall of Fame.

Featured image: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Sport

Inset Image 1: Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images Sport

Inset Image 2: Clemson Smith Muñiz / La Vida Baseball