Figgins figures he can do the job

SAN DIEGO -- Chone Figgins was baseball’s top hitter from May 31 through the end of last season, batting .381 with 42 multi-hit games, including a video-game-like six-for-six night with a game-winning triple against Houston on June 18.

And that did virtually nothing this winter to quell the clamoring among Angels fans for a power-hitting third baseman such as Miguel Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez or Miguel Tejada.

“It’s amazing,” the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Figgins said. “We’ve got Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson, Torii Hunter, Casey Kotchman, Mike Napoli, Howie Kendrick . . . all these guys with power and they still want a power-hitting third baseman?

“How much power do you need? Would you rather have a guy who hits .240 with 15 homers or who hits .300 with 50 stolen bases and 100 runs?”

Figgins, who went hitless in two at-bats in Friday night’s 4-1 exhibition loss to the San Diego Padres in Petco Park, will never be considered a prototypical third baseman because of his size.

But he is one of the game’s best leadoff hitters, batting .330 with a .432 on-base percentage in 2007. With third base his only real entree into the lineup, the former utility player found a permanent home there in 2007.

Figgins missed all but one game last April because of two broken fingers on his right hand and hit .156 in May. Then he went on a tear, batting .461 with 53 hits in June, a franchise record for hits in a month, .351 in July and .342 in August.

“The injury and early struggles may have helped me,” Figgins said. “It really made me concentrate because I had to make up for lost time. You realize you have to have good at-bats all the time.”

And you can’t give away at-bats like players sometimes do in lopsided games, when they swing at a first pitch or a bad pitch in a hitter’s count.

“Every at-bat, I’m trying to get hits, walks, have good at-bats,” Figgins said. “Guys who get 200 hits a year -- Ichiro, Michael Young, Juan Pierre -- they get two hits every game; I want three or four.

“And if it’s a blowout, instead of giving away an at-bat, I’ll try to get a walk or a hit, because that carries over to your next game. Now, every time I step to the plate, it’s time to hit.”

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That “dead arm” Joe Saunders complained of after his last spring start? It came back to life Friday night, as the Angels left-hander gave up one hit -- Kevin Kouzmanoff’s first-inning home run--in five innings against the Padres, striking out six and walking none.

“He’s ready to go,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He didn’t make many mistakes tonight.”

As an added bonus, Saunders got to hit against future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, grounding out to first in the third inning.

“It was a lot of fun and an honor to hit against one of the best pitchers of all time,” Saunders said. “He was one of my idols growing up.”

The Angels managed only three hits and were hitless until Erick Aybar’s solo home run, his team-leading fourth of the spring, off Adam Bass in the seventh.

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John Lackey (triceps strain) began his throwing program Friday, about a week ahead of schedule. The Angels hope he can return by early May.

Reliever Scot Shields (forearm strain) threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Friday, all fastballs, and will throw again Sunday in Minnesota. Shields will throw a simulated game Tuesday and begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment Thursday or Friday.

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Outfielder Nathan Haynes, who had no chance of making the team and was out of options, was claimed off waivers Friday by Tampa Bay. . . . Dustin Moseley, the leading candidate for the fifth rotation spot, threw 95 pitches in a triple-A game in Arizona on Friday. . . . Preston Gomez, the 84-year-old scouting consultant who was seriously injured when he was hit by a pickup truck Wednesday in Blythe, continued to improve Friday He was awake, speaking and able to drink some fluids, a team spokesman said.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

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