Angel Notebook : Angels Gamble $25,000 That Carl Willis Will Stick

Technically, he is a pitcher on lease, receiving a month-long test with the Angels this spring.

And technically, Carl Willis is a prospect in limbo at the moment. He is not guaranteed a spot on the Angels’ 1986 roster. He is not even guaranteed a spot in the Angels’ organization.

Come April, Willis could be a member of the Cincinnati Reds system, reverting to the status he held before last winter’s baseball meetings.

But if so, it will cost the Angels $25,000.

Last December, in a draft of unprotected minor league players known as the Rule V draft, the Angels paid Cincinnati $50,000 to select Willis, who had gone 4-4 with a 4.15 earned-run average for the Reds’ triple-A affiliate at Denver.

The idea for the Angels was to strengthen their bullpen with a 25-year-old right-hander capable of pitching in both long and short relief. The risk was the possibility of, basically, shelling out five figures for nothing.

If Willis doesn’t make the Angels’ opening-day roster, California cannot assign Willis to one of its minor league teams without first offering him back to the Reds. And should the Reds want him back, they will return half of the $50,000 fee originally paid by the Angels.

Thus, the Angels are wagering $25,000 that Willis is a keeper.

But that, in Willis’ eyes, is not much of an insurance policy.

“That may be a lot of money to you or me,” Willis said, “but not to a major league team like California. It doesn’t hurt me any, but it won’t mean much if I don’t pitch right.

“Clubs have lost a lot more than $25,000 on players in the past.”

With eight of the 10 positions on the Angels’ pitching staff already filled, Willis is bidding to catch on as a long reliever. His competition: Jim Slaton, Ken Forsch, Doug Corbett and fellow rookies Ray Chadwick, T.R. Bryden and Chuck Finley.

After four spring appearances, including a one-inning stint in Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs, Willis is holding his own. In 7 innings, he has allowed 3 earned runs (3.65 ERA) while striking out 5 and walking 2.

He has command of three pitches--a sinking fastball, a slider and a split-fingered fastball, which he learned from Roger Craig when both were members of the Detroit Tigers organization in 1984.

Are they enough to merit Willis a promotion to the big leagues in 1986?

Don’t ask Willis.

“It’s too early to say,” Willis said. “Sparky (Anderson) thought I could pitch in the big leagues. So did Pete Rose. But I didn’t believe it.

“And I won’t believe it until I’m in Anaheim on opening day.”

Angel Notes Stewart Cliburn was scheduled to pitch Wednesday but scratched himself from the rotation when he complained of discomfort in his right triceps. Team physical therapist Roger Williams said the stiffness was unrelated to the shoulder problems that sidelined Cliburn through the first three weeks of spring training. “Having laid off for so long and coming back to pitch (Saturday), that’s a normal stiffness,” Williams said. “He may want to give it a day or two off before throwing again.” . . . Gary Lucas and John Candelaria threw off the mound for 10 minutes Wednesday without pain and could be ready to pitch in game conditions again by this weekend. . . . Don Sutton pitched four scoreless innings against the Cubs, allowing three hits and striking out two, but the Angels let the game get out of hand in the sixth, when Chuck Finley surrendered five runs while working two-thirds of an inning. The Angels scored twice in the seventh and eighth innings to pull to within one run. . . . Darrell Miller went 2 for 4 with an RBI, raising his spring average to .480.