Hatcher likes law of averages

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Angels have four potential batting champions in their lineup, less of a curiosity than a necessity for an offense dependent on batting average. Although fans and analysts sometimes bemoan how few walks the Angels draw, batting coach Mickey Hatcher said the club does not evaluate its hitters on walks.

“That’s a false stat,” Hatcher said.

In the context of their high-contact, low-power offense, Hatcher explained, the relative lack of walks indicates less that the Angels are free swingers and more that opposing pitchers challenge them more often, because a fat pitch is not as likely to end up as a home run.

“If they’re throwing strikes, we’ll hit them. If they’re not, we’ll walk,” Hatcher said. “But we don’t have a lot of home-run threats.

“When you look at Detroit’s lineup, they’ll have a lot more walks, because they’re a lot more dangerous.”

The Detroit Tigers drew fewer walks than the Angels last season, albeit without Miguel Cabrera. But statistics support Hatcher’s theory that the number of walks the Angels draw has no relation to how well they do.

Over the last six seasons, the Angels never have ranked higher than ninth in the American League in walks -- or, for that matter, in home runs.

In the four seasons in which they ranked sixth or higher in batting average, they made the playoffs. In the other two seasons, they finished 11th in runs and did not make the playoffs.

In 2002, the Angels’ championship season, they led the league in batting average, ranking fourth in runs, 11th in walks and 11th in home runs.

The clubhouse consensus is that Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero, Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman all could contend for a batting title.

Figgins hit .381 over the final four months last season, after the lingering effects of a hand injury dissipated, but he wasn’t about to proclaim himself a batting champion in waiting.

“It’ll have to be a perfect year for any hitter, even Ichiro,” Figgins said. “He’s one of the purest hitters in the league, and he didn’t win it last year.”

Magglio Ordonez did, at .363, with Ichiro Suzuki second at .351.

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Making his pitch

Darren O’Day, a sidearmer who split last season between Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and double-A Arkansas, has pitched his way into contention for the lone bullpen vacancy.

O’Day retired all six batters he faced -- four by strikeout -- in Sunday’s 6-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. He has faced 25 batters this spring, giving up no runs, one hit and one walk.

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Rivera stays hot

Outfielder Juan Rivera singled home the tying and winning runs, raising his batting average to .438 and raising his trade value too. . . . Starter Ervin Santana gave up four runs in four innings. His spring earned-run average stands at 8.31 after three starts. . . . The Angels sent 12 players to minor league camp: pitchers Stephen Marek, Sean O’Sullivan, Fernando Rodriguez, Rafael Rodriguez and Jordan Walden, catchers Tim Duff and Ben Johnson, infielders Adam Pavkovich, P.J. Phillips, Nate Sutton and Mark Trumbo and outfielder Peter Bourjos. . . . Live spring broadcasts start today on 830, with John Lackey making his Cactus League debut against Oakland.

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bill.shaikin@latimes.com

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