Angel Notebook : Absent McCaskill’s Contract Renewed

The Angels followed Kirk McCaskill this far, just outside the California border, to open their exhibition-game schedule and finish up some business Friday.

As expected, Angel General Manager Mike Port renewed the contract of McCaskill, who walked out of training camp Thursday. Port also renewed outfielder Devon White but reached new agreements with outfielders Jack Howell and Reggie Montgomery and infielders Gus Polidor and Bill Merrifield.

According to McCaskill’s agent, Marvin Demoff, Port Thursday had offered McCaskill an option of signing for one figure, believed to be about $225,000, or risk being renewed for $5,000 less. McCaskill, calling such a ploy “strong-arm tactics,” refused to sign and returned to his Irvine home.

“If Port wanted Kirk back in camp tomorrow,” Demoff said, “he would have renewed him at the first number. (But) if he had done that, I think he would have told us.”

Demoff said it was McCaskill’s hope that the Angels would negotiate the same way in 1987 as they had last year. In 1986, the Angels renewed McCaskill’s contract at $130,000 but continued negotiating through early April. McCaskill eventually signed for $142,000.

This year, however, Port has indicated that all renewals are final.

“Kirk feels from his performance last year that he deserves at least the same treatment, regardless of the numbers,” Demoff said.

Demoff called McCaskill’s walkout “an emotional decision. There was nothing economic about what he did. I talked to him last night and he felt a lot better being at home than there. He felt he couldn’t have gone out and done it.”

McCaskill was scheduled to start Sunday’s game against the San Diego Padres but will be replaced by Ray Chadwick. Since Chadwick was originally set to pitch in Sunday’s ‘B’ game, Angel Manager Gene Mauch had to scrap that ‘B’ game.

Angel Notes

The Angels lost to the Padres, 4-2, in 11 innings, in their exhibition opener Friday. Jack Howell’s solo home run accounted for the Angels’ only run through nine innings. Jerry Narron’s RBI pinch-single gave the Angels a 2-1 lead in the top of the 11th, but San Diego rallied in the bottom of the inning for three runs--coming on a bases-empty home run by Randell Byers and a two-run home run by James Steels. Bill Lazorko was the losing pitcher for the Angels. . . . Gene Mauch was pleased with performances of his first four pitchers. John Candelaria allowed one run on three hits in three innings, Willie Fraser pitched three scoreless innings and Chuck Finley and Todd Fischer worked two scoreless innings apiece. “I like what I see from Candelaria. I like it a lot,” Mauch said. “He was throwing nice and easy. I’m tickled to death.” This time last year, Candelaria was bothered by calcium deposits in his left elbow that eventually necessitated surgery. Candelaria returned to finish 10-2 in 1986, but complained of discomfort in his elbow in some of his last starts. “I think it went OK today,” he said. “I threw all my pitches and I picked up the speed in the last inning. Everything feels fine.” . . . In his debut as an Angel catcher, Butch Wynegar caught all 11 innings. “Butch is going to get the 1982 (Bob) Boone treatment, catching 10 or 11 innings every day,” Mauch said, laughing. “He’s going to say, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ But, he loves it.” . . . The Angels’ lost the ‘B’ game, 7-0. Marty Reed allowed four earned runs in three innings and Mike Fetters allowed one earned run in three innings. The Angels managed three hits--one each by Mark Ryal, Bill Merrifield and Dante Bichette.