Swimming Upstream

He knows it’s only batting practice, that the jump to hitting big league pitching is like going from arithmetic to calculus, but Jim Lefebvre has been around this game long enough -- nearly four decades as a major league player, manager and coach -- to know when something looks right.

And as Lefebvre has monitored Tim Salmon’s batting sessions at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College the last month, he has become more and more convinced that the Angel veteran will return this season after sitting out all of 2005 and most of 2004 because of major knee and shoulder injuries.

“He is flat-out crushing the ball,” said Lefebvre, who will manage China in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. “I’m amazed at how much power and quickness he has. His swing is very short, compact, and his balance is good. He’s so quick with his hands, and he’s staying through the hitting zone well. He looks really good. He’s going to play somewhere this year.”

Salmon, 37, would love to play in Anaheim, where in 12 seasons he won an American League rookie-of-the-year award (in 1993), amassed a franchise-record 290 home runs and 956 runs, and provided one of the franchise’s most memorable moments, when he hoisted the 2002 World Series trophy over his head and led a victory lap around Angel Stadium after the Game 7 win over San Francisco.

But Salmon knows that neither the minor league contract he signed in December nor his aging but rebuilt body that withstood surgeries to the left shoulder and left knee comes with any guarantees.

“Whether I have a clear picture or not, my assumption is there isn’t a job to win,” Salmon said by phone from his Arizona home. “If I have an awesome spring training, it might make them reconsider, but I’m going in with the feeling they’ve moved on without me, and that’s OK. I’ve accepted it.”

With the first spring workout set for Feb. 16 in Tempe, Ariz., Salmon has more immediate concerns than breaking camp with the Angels as a reserve outfielder and designated hitter.

“The first question is, can I play? Can I withstand the rigors of playing major league baseball?” Salmon said. “If I can, then I’m prepared to go wherever I have to go to play. That’s my mind-set.

“As much as I’d love to play for the Angels, I realize that’s not realistic. You can see the guys they’re committing to -- they’ve played without me for almost two years -- and I realize I may have to move on. They’ve moved forward, and I understand that.”

Ahead of Salmon on the Angel depth chart is Juan Rivera, who can play all three outfield spots and is expected to be the primary designated hitter, a role that was affirmed when the Angels signed Rivera to a two-year, $3.275-million contract in January.

Left fielder Garret Anderson will get plenty of DH at-bats, and Dallas McPherson, the young slugger who appears to have lost his third base job to Chone Figgins, could spend time at DH. Salmon’s old job has been sufficiently filled -- manning right field for the Angels is Vladimir Guerrero, the 2004 AL most valuable player.

“I’m trying to win a job, and it doesn’t have to be with the Angels,” Salmon said. “I’m thankful for this chance. I know I’ll get the at-bats in spring training I need. If I do something that changes their thinking, great. If not, hopefully another team will see something they like, and I’ll go from there. Let’s get to camp, play, and see if everything holds together.”

If Salmon makes the team, he’ll make $400,000, a mere pittance compared with the $70 million he has accrued in the big leagues. But salary isn’t the key component of his contract; more important is a clause that requires Salmon to be released by March 22 if he doesn’t make the team.

That gives Salmon more than a month to make an impression with the Angels and, if needed, roughly 10 days before opening day to catch on with another team.

Or, in the worst-case scenario, Salmon will have a month and a half to prepare a retirement speech.

“I’m ready for that too,” Salmon said of the possibility of walking -- or hobbling -- away from the game for good this spring. “I’m not going to blow smoke. I’ll be the first to know. If my knee is bothering me, I’m not going to gut through something and jeopardize the second half of my life.

“I can’t play through it this time. That wouldn’t be prudent. I recognize the season is a grind, and if I come out of camp struggling with my knee, that won’t be a good sign. I’m prepared both ways. Does that mean it wouldn’t be emotional if I have to retire? No. If I’m swinging great and my knee gives out, that would be frustrating.”

At the very least, Salmon will have the satisfaction of knowing he gave it one last shot, that those grueling five-hour physical therapy sessions, which he endured three times a week for 13 months, allowed him to get this close, to where he feels like a baseball player again.

Salmon was a mess in 2004 -- he had four tears in his left shoulder, an achy left knee, and he played in only 60 games, batting .253 with two home runs and 23 runs batted in before being shut down in late August.

Salmon had knee surgery Sept. 18, 2004, and shoulder surgery six weeks later, spent a month on crutches and a month in a sling. He absorbed a series of synthetic viscosity injections in the knee last July, and after a lengthy rehabilitation process, he believes he’s ready to return.

“I feel like I’m doing things with flexibility and range of motion that I haven’t done in a few years,” Salmon said. “I feel strong, quick. I’m running 100%, sprinting hard ... you can’t simulate the day-to-day pounding you take in baseball, but I’m trying to give myself the best chance.”

Lefebvre, the former Dodger infielder who is overseeing the four-times-a-week, hourlong hitting workouts for a number of big leaguers and minor leaguers in Arizona, likes what he sees.

“This is the first time he’s had a chance to be pain-free in a long time,” said Lefebvre, who managed 5 1/2 years in the big leagues. “It’s batting practice, and he knows he’ll have to catch up, but from the sessions we’re having now, he’s coming along real well.”

Though Salmon, a fan favorite known as “Mr. Angel,” is a longshot to make the club, General Manager Bill Stoneman hasn’t ruled him out.

“It would be great if he can perform well and make the team,” Stoneman said. “Everyone would be happy. Especially our fans.”