BASEBALL ’85 : ANGELS : By the Light of a Silvery Moon, They’ll Unveil Something Old (OK, a Lot Old) and Something New in Their Bid to Win the West

The Angels open their Silver Anniversary season Tuesday night amid timeless concerns regarding pitching, depth, age and offensive consistency.

They open their 25th season with the inherent optimism of spring and the seemingly legitimate view that a reborn intensity enhances their ability to compete in the weaker of the American League’s two divisions, the West.

It seems appropriate that the Little General, Gene Mauch, has returned to direct what could be a final stand for the Old Guard.

The Angels introduced four rookies--Gary Pettis, Dick Schofield, Ron Romanick and Mike Brown--last year. They will open the new season with two more--relief pitcher Pat Clements and reserve infielder Craig Gerber.

The actions of General Manager Mike Port have made it clear that owners Gene and Jackie Autry now want to build from within, reducing the payroll and a reliance on big-name free agents.

Last year’s emotionless team stayed alive in the West with a .500 record, ultimately finishing tied for second, three games behind Kansas City.

On this year’s blend of old and new, Mauch reflected and said: “I just don’t think anybody is better (in the West). The things we wanted most have surfaced . . . the absolute necessity of the center fielder (Pettis), shortstop (Schofield) and catcher (Bob Boone) to hit better, the finding of a left-hander in the pen (Clements) and generating some excitement in the older guys’ actions.

“I’ve eaten a lot of March words in April and a lot of April words in June, but I meant ‘em when I said ‘em,” Mauch said.

“If these guys play to their capability, and I’m assuming they will, they can’t be beaten.”

The keys seem to be:

1--GARY PETTIS (and the Schofield-Boone Connection): Mauch has already said that if the Angels are to win, Pettis must play center field regularly, and for Pettis to play regularly, he must reach base 200 to 225 times. That translates, in Mauch’s view, to at least 75 stolen bases, 100 runs from the leadoff position and a Gold Glove defender between Brian Downing and Reggie Jackson, whose range is limited.

Mauch’s goal is for Pettis, who batted .227 last year, Schofield (.193) and Boone (.202) to combine for a 100-point improvement. He got it during the spring as Boone hit .304, Schofield hit .277 and Pettis hit .247 despite 20 strikeouts in 81 at-bats.

Mauch should help keep them on track by playing a team brand of offense, sometimes known as Little Ball. Pettis was taught the rudiments during two winter visits to former National League batting champion Harry Walker.

“You don’t learn a new technique overnight,” Mauch said. “I don’t expect a miracle, but I do have the feeling that Gary Pettis might just explode. He can put a run on the board in a New York minute--once he’s on first base.”

2--DONNIE MOORE AND PAT CLEMENTS: Moore, 31, led the Atlanta bullpen last year, blossoming after parts of eight modest seasons with the Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers and Braves to convert 16-of-19 save opportunities.

Clements, 23, became a relief pitcher in only his second pro season. He was 4-2 with nine saves at Waterbury of the double-A Eastern League, then filled Mauch’s No. 1 priority with a banner spring.

Now Moore and Clements are the right- and left-handed stoppers in a bullpen expected to include Doug Corbett, Luis Sanchez and Jim Slaton. Mauch feels it is superior in depth and ability to his 1982 bullpen, which helped the Angels win the West. The view is expected to be tested by a rotation that finished only 22% of its starts last year.

“We have to keep the game under control to give our offense a chance to produce,” Mauch said. “The depth should allow us to do that on nights when the starter can’t.”

Clements, in particular, should be a key. He will be asked to get left-handed hitters on a frequent basis. Mauch has never hesitated using young pitchers and never hesitated riding a hot arm. Mauch likes Clements’ poise and the trust he has shown in his own stuff.

“There’s a pretty good likelihood that Clements won’t always get that left-hander out, but if his percentage is good, that’s all I care about,” Mauch said.

3--REGGIE Even now, soon to be 39 and coming off seasons in which he hit .194 and .223, Jackson remains what Bobby Grich calls the hub of the wheel, a charismatic personality and hitter whose contributions ignite the bench and often seem to be contagious.

Striking out at the 1983 ratio of every 2.8 at-bats, Jackson is a debilitating factor in the heart of the order. Making frequent contact, as he did this spring when he hit .333, he eases the load on Downing and Doug DeCinces, the other RBI men, and supplies the horsepower in the manner that Pettis provides the ignition.

The Angels averaged more than 5 runs and 10 hits a game as Jackson returned to right field, erased Mike Brown’s candidacy as Fred Lynn’s replacement and seemed to confirm Mauch’s belief that (1) he’s more productive the more involved he is, and (2) he’s still capable of being a complete hitter and player.

How many games will he play? How effective will he be in the outfield? Those questions have been overshadowed by his offensive awakening.

“It’s been 10 years since I’ve swung the bat any better,” Jackson said. “I don’t have to think about hitting 500 home runs anymore. The manager doesn’t care if I don’t hit any. I’m only trying to put it in play. I’m only trying to hit it hard, not far.”

4--THE ROTATION Mauch was saying the other day that all of his relief pitchers can expect to get work because “there’s a pretty good chance we won’t have too many complete games, particularly early in the year. You know there will be a lot of six inning jobs.”

Mike Witt and Geoff Zahn, who tied for the club lead with nine complete games last year, averaged just over seven innings per start. Rookie Romanick completed eight games and averaged just under seven innings.

If a pitcher has done his job by keeping a club in the game for six or seven innings, then this is a rotation that can probably get the job done.

Witt and Romanick, both 24, should continue to improve. It is hard to speculate about the 38-year-old Zahn, who has had six operations on his left knee, or the 41-year-old Tommy John, who was 18-26 over the last two years and has said his return to the Angel rotation would come only by default.

John has said a number of other things that raised management’s ire, but in a temperate response, Port said: “We have an obligation to our fans to pick the 10 best pitchers. We can deal with Tommy’s personality--or lack of it-- later.”

The 38-year-old Ken Forsch, who missed all of last season after dislocating a shoulder in his first start and opens this season on the disabled list with a strained elbow, is expected to return April 17.

It would not be a surprise, however, if Bob Kipper and/or Rafael Lugo and/or Kirk McCaskill, the spring flowers, were back to give the rotation a new look by midseason.

5--AGE AND DEPTH Has there ever been an older team? It seems unlikely.

The regular lineup includes DeCinces and Downing, who are 34; Grich, 36; Boone, 37; Jackson, 38, and Rod Carew, 39.

The bullpen includes Moore and Sanchez, 31; Corbett, 32, and Slaton, 34.

The ultimate rotation is expected to include Zahn and Forsch, 38, and John, 41.

What does it mean?

The obvious spinoff has been a revolving-door lineup and susceptibility to injury, generating a need for quality depth.

Mauch believes he has it.

“Our bench is such that if Reggie Jackson plays 125 games,” Mauch said, “that’s a lot of games.”

There is expected to be extensive platooning with Carew and Juan Beniquez at first, Grich and Rob Wilfong at second, Jackson and Brown in right and Brown and Ruppert Jones as designated hitter.

Rookie Gerber, a Silver Glove winner as triple-A baseball’s best fielding shortstop last year, can also play second, third and all three outfield positions.

Said Mauch, repeating a career theme: “I play them when I want to so they’ll be ready when I have to.”

Said third baseman DeCinces:

“Gene did a great job this spring. He involved the kids as well as the older players. He gave everyone a lot of playing time and got us talking and thinking about the game again. There’s an intensity about him that rubs off naturally.

“I went to camp with a reserved attitude as to how everything would fit together, but I feel very positive now.

“I think our defense is very sound and that our offensive production will be right there. I don’t like going into the season with uncertainty in the rotation, but I think Moore and Clements will help out of the bullpen and that our depth is good.

“I like our chances. I see us being in the race.”