Top-Shelf Moves

Now this is a new sheriff.

What Kevin Malone once promised to do with the Dodgers, Arte Moreno has done with the Angels.

While the folks in Chavez Ravine continue to balk the talk, Arte Moreno walks the walk.

The Angels’ biggest hitter is not Vladimir Guerrero, but an owner unafraid to swing for the fences.

Their toughest pitcher is not Bartolo Colon, but an owner who has thrown nothing but strikes.

The new outfield guns are not only Guerrero and Jose Guillen, but the owner who has been firing from all directions since buying the team in May.

Beer prices too high? Lower them.

Ticket prices too high for kids? Cut them.

Edison doesn’t want to sponsor the field? The heck with them.

Arte Moreno has restored the word “Angels” to the front door, across the front of the road jerseys, and on the lips of those Southern Californians who had so quickly forgotten them.

Guerrero’s signing of a five-year, $70-million contract today will be the biggest stroke around here since Scott Spiezio’s looping home run in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series.

Shocking for baseball, typical for Moreno.

First, it was anti-Angel.

In the last 15 years, with rare exceptions, they would lose these battles with rich franchises like the Baltimore Orioles or New York Mets. They used to be the antithesis of the New York Yankees. Moreno is turning them into peers.

Second, it was sneaky quiet.

Nobody even knew the Angels were in the running for Guerrero until they had already agreed to terms. Just like, nobody had heard of Moreno until shortly before he bought the team. The happiest place on Earth is now run by a stealth fighter.

Third, it was Latino.

If you think it’s coincidental that the first four major free-agent acquisitions by U.S. sports’ first major Latino owner have been Latino, think again.

It’s not that Moreno signed Latinos to impress his growing Latino fan base -- that would be patronizing. And it’s not that Guerrero, Colon, Guillen and Kelvim Escobar only signed here because of Moreno’s heritage -- that would be foolish.

But one cannot ignore that, for the first time in their professional lives, some of baseball’s best players have a boss who speaks their language. And for the first time in Southern California, there is a sports boss who uniquely understands the often forgotten segments of his fan base.

“These signings may not be landmark, but they are very important,” said Milton Jamail, a lecturer in the government department at the University of Texas who has written extensively about Latin American baseball. “The Angels, in the past, have never made a big effort in Latin America, or been very successful there. To see this commitment from a franchise located in the heart of one of the fastest-growing Latino populations tells me that they understand their fans.”

Jamail said Moreno recognizes it’s not about color or accent, but about slugging percentage and earned-run average.

“This is not about signing Latino players for Latino fans, it’s about signing great players for all your fans, no matter what their nationality,” he said. “These are four players who will appeal to all their fans at every level.”

He acknowledged that it does help that Moreno can provide the players with a comfort zone not found in all places.

“This is why Latino players have traditionally liked playing in places like Montreal and Florida,” he said. “They are comfortable with different languages in those places. There is not as much pressure to fit in with everyone else.”

Colon said that he spoke to Moreno before signing with the Angels.

Since Colon speaks little English, it is doubtful he spoke to another prospective owner. Guerrero has the same language challenges, requiring a interpreter when he played in Montreal.

“That’s why having a Latino owner means a lot to them,” said Jose Mota, one of the Angel broadcasters. “Communication is a big part of this business, and being able to communicate with the people who employ you is important.”

It also helps that Manager Mike Scioscia speaks Spanish, as well as first base coach Alfredo Griffin and bullpen coach Orlando Mercado.

From reliever Francisco Rodriguez to catcher Bengie Molina to three-fifths of the potential starting rotation, the Angels have become diverse in ways that can only help them.

“Many kinds of players are comfortable with the culture here, and that means a lot,” said Mota.

Moreno, not surprisingly, declined to be interviewed for this column, preferring to wait until today’s news conference.

We cannot argue.

More than a decade ago, a kid walked into the Dodgers’ facility in the Dominican Republic, asking to be united with his older brother in the Dodger farm system.

The kid’s father wanted a couple thousand more dollars than the Dodgers were willing to pay, so the kid sadly went elsewhere.

Today, that kid is one of the best players in baseball, and Vladimir Guerrero will walk into Angel Stadium to join an owner who will not quibble with him over millions. Arte Moreno has said quite enough, don’t you think?

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.