Angels fans shouldn't lose any sleep over the loss of Vladimir Guerrero to the Texas Rangers. They've replaced him with former Yankee Hideki Matsui, a great player and hitter and a good guy adored by his teammates.
Although limited to the designated hitter spot last year, Matsui was a key contributor to the New York Yankees championship season. His biggest contribution came in the playoffs, when he carried the Yankees offense in the World Series despite not starting the three games in the National League ballpark. Matsui is a loyal guy and was obviously hurt when the Yanks didn't put up a fight for his services. But he found himself a good home in Anaheim and a good manager in Mike Scioscia.
No doubt Angels fans will miss Vlad. He was a fantastic player for them over six years. He recorded the 400th home run in his career and 1,000th hit as an Angel last year. But he was clearly on the downside, struggling through the playoffs and the American League Championship Series, which his team lost to the Yankees. And he was never the vocal leader that team probably needed. Not that Matsui is that kind of guy either, but he can pick up his team with his bat.
Thanks to Onetwo1 via en.Wikipedia for the photo.
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