Angels ’87 : CHANGING FACES

With such players as Bob Boone, Rick Burleson, Bobby Grich and Reggie Jackson gone from last year’s team, the Angels will have a younger look as the 1987 season opens.

John Candelaria 45 Pitcher

Candelaria can be one of the most dominating left-handers in the league but for most of last season, he was just another member of the the injury-struck Angel staff. He had cracked calcification of the left elbow and was operated on in April after making one start. He returned to the Angels July 8 and was 10-2. He was the winning pitcher when the Angels clinched the American League West with an 8-3 victory over Texas, Sept. 26. Candelaria, 33, pitched a no-hitter for Pittsburgh in 1976 against the Dodgers.

Stewart Cliburn 33 Pitcher

Two seasons ago, Cliburn looked like the answer to many of the long-term pitching problems of the Angels. He was 9-3 with six saves in 1985 as a rookie, but last season was bothered by a sore right shoulder during spring training and was assigned to Edmonton, where he was 1-2 in 20 games. Cliburn, 30, was on the disabled list from April 22 to July 16 and had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder last November. This spring, he has been bothered by continuing soreness and might not be on the opening-day roster.

Mike Cook 46 Pitcher

Cook was rushed up to the Angels last July as the search for a fifth starter extended to Midland, the Angels’ Double-A team, where he was a midseason All-Star. He wasn’t impressive in five games, including a start against the Chicago White Sox July 1. He pitched three innings and gave up five runs and took the loss. Cook, 23, went on to appear four times in relief, compiling an 0-2 record and giving up 12 hits, 12 runs, 9 earned, in 9 innings before being optioned back to Edmonton July 18. He finished 4-1 in nine starts as a Trapper.

Doug DeCinces 11 Third Base

DeCinces is the veteran of an infield that’s getting younger each season. He had 5 home runs and 24 RBIs through May last season, but finished with a team-high 26 home runs and was second in RBIs with 96. DeCinces, 36, played in 140 games last season, only three as a designated hitter, and made a career-low 12 errors. He was voted the American League player of the month for August when he hit .337 with 9 home runs and 25 RBIs. DeCinces replaced Brooks Robinson as the Orioles’ full-time third baseman in 1977.

Brian Downing 5 DH/Left Field

Downing started his career as a third baseman with the White Sox, moved to catcher, was traded to the Angels and then moved to left field. This season, his 14th, he will be the designated hitter. Downing, 36, hit .267 with a career-high 95 RBIs last season as he played in 152 games. A Cypress College product, he holds the major league record for an outfielder for most consecutive errorless games--244 from May 25, 1981 to July 21, 1983. He committed three errors in 275 chances in 1986.

Gene Mauch 3 Manager

Entering his 26th season as a major league manager, Mauch ranks fifth on the list of games managed (3,781) and eighth in career victories (1,828). Only three men have managed more seasons--Connie Mack (53), John McGraw (33) and Bucky Harris (29). Yet the statistic Mauch is most remembered for is one he’d like to forget: No man has ever managed more seasons without winning a pennant. He came close in 1964 and 1982 and was one pitch away in 1986 before Boston’s Dave Henderson helped keep the streak intact. Mauch, 61, has managed the Angels for three full seasons and each produced at least 90 victories. In 1982, heguided the Angels to 93 wins and the AL West title. In 1985, Mauch’s Angels won 90 games, finishing one game behind eventual world champion Kansas City, and in 1986, the team won the West again with a 92-70 record. No other Angel manager has won more than 88 games in a season. Mauch was appointed Angel manager on May 22, 1981, succeeding Jim Fregosi, and finished with a 29-34 mark. He won the West the following year but when the Angels blew a 2-0 series lead to Milwaukee in the American League playoffs, Mauch was second-guessed so intensely that he resigned. Mauch spent two years as the Angels’ director of player personnel before returning as manager on Oct. 16, 1984. Mauch began his managerial career with Philadelphia in 1960. He managed the Phillies from 1960-68, the Montreal Expos from 1969-75 and the Minnesota Twins from 1976-1980. Mauch was named National League manager of the year in 1973 after leading the Expos to a 79-83 finish. Mauch won the same award with the Phillies in 1962 and 1964.

Chuck Finley 31 Pitcher

If Gary Lucas’ shoulder continues to bother him, the hard-throwing Finley will be the top left-hander out of the bullpen for the Angels in the early going. Finley was 3-1 in 25 games as a rookie last season, but had no saves. He was mostly working to set up Lucas and Terry Forster, who was not re-signed this season. Finley, 24, went to the Puerto Rican Winter League to work on the full windup with the thought of becoming a starting pitcher. The experiment didn’t earn him a starting position, though he did learn how to use the windup.

Willie Fraser 27 Pitcher

The right-hander jumped from Single-A to Triple-A and to the major leagues last season, his second as a professional. He started the season at Palm Springs, where he was 9-2, moved to Edmonton Aug. 1 and was 4-1. He was called up to the Angels Sept. 1 and made one start. Fraser pitched 4 innings and gave up four runs but received no decision in an Angels’ win over Cleveland. Fraser, 22, could a) make the team as a starter or as a reliever if injuries sideline any of the established stars, or b) be sent down to Edmonton so that he can get regular work.

George Hendrick 25 Outfield

Hendrick spent much of the last season--in which he hit .272--platooning with Ruppert Jones in right field. Hendrick, 37, is starting his 16th season in the majors and the Angels are his sixth team. He broke into the majors with Oakland in 1971 after that team signed him off the sandlots of Los Angeles, where he attended Fremont High. He has also played with Cleveland, San Diego, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. His best season was 1980 with the Cardinals when he hit .302 with 25 home runs and 109 RBIs.

Jack Howell 16 Left Field

Howell had been a third baseman his entire career but made his first appearence in the outfield last June. This season, he will start in left field, at least against right-handed pitching. Hendrick is expected to play against left-handers. Howell, 23, was recalled from Edmonton May 31 last season and hit .272 with 4 home runs and 21 RBIs the rest of the way. Two of his home runs came in the same game off Toronto’s Dave Stieb July 4th in Exhibition Stadium. He had a career-high five RBIs against Baltimore in 1985.

Ruppert Jones 13 Outfield

The Angels released Jones after last season but signed him again in December when it looked as if they might not be able to re-sign Doug DeCinces or Brian Downing and would be in need of a power hitter. He hit 17 home runs in 126 games last season. With Devon White moving into the lineup and Howell moving to the outfield, Jones, 32, doesn’t figure to have much of a future this season past spot starts and pinch-hitting. He came up with the Royals in ’76 and was picked by Seattle in the expansion draft before the ’77 season.

Wally Joyner 21 First Base

Joyner captured the attention of the league quickly in his rookie season by hitting .313 with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs at the all-star break. Joyner, 24, slowed in the second half and finished hitting .290 with 22 home runs and 100 RBIs. He finished second behind Oakland’s Jose Canseco in voting for Rookie of the Year. Joyner, who showed adeptness with his glove, broke up two no-hitters in the ninth inning. He singled against Texas’ Charlie Hough with one out and and doubled against Detroit’s Walt Terrell with two out.

Kirk McCaskill 15 Pitcher

McCaskill was 17-10 last season and, along with Mike Witt, gave the Angels two outstanding right-handed starters. In compiling a 3.36 ERA, he pitched a pair of two-hitters and a one-hitter. McCaskill, 26, received many headlines when he walked out of camp this spring over contract problems, but returned after six days and accepted the Angels’ offer of $232,000. McCaskill, an All-American hockey player at the University of Vermont, was drafted by the NHL Winnipeg Jets but elected to pursue a career in baseball.

Donnie Moore 37 Pitcher

Moore was on the mound during the Angels’ greatest triumph last season--clinching the Western Division Sept. 26 as he saved an 8-3 victory over Texas. He was also on the mound at the Angels’ darkest moment--as Dave Henderson hit a home run to give the Red Sox the lead in the top of the ninth of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. Moore, 33, was bothered by a sore shoulder most of last season and elected not to have surgery in favor of weight training this winter. It has paid off this spring.

Gary Lucas 36 Pitcher

Lucas is one in a series of Angel pitchers troubled by injuries. This spring, he has been bothered by a sore left shoulder. Lucas, 32, came to the Angels in a trade with Montreal in 1985. He pitched twice last spring before injuring his back. He didn’t pitch again until July 17 and ended up 4-1 with two saves. Lucas became a part of Angel history last fall when he replaced Mike Witt in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the AL West playoffs to pitch to Rich Gedman. Lucas hit Gedman on the first pitch and was replaced by Donny Moore.

Mark McLemore 28 Second Base

The retirement of Bobby Grich cleared a spot for McLemore. The only question is if he can hit enough to keep it. McLemore, 22, has plenty of defensive awards behind him--being voted the best second baseman in the Pacific Coast and Texas leagues the last two seasons by Baseball American. He hit .317 at Midland, the Angels’ Double-A team, in 1986 before being called up to Edmonton, where he hit .276 in 73 games. With the two teams he stole 67 bases. He was used mainly as a pinch-runner by the Angels last September.

Urbano Lugo 18 Pitcher

Lugo appears finally to have found some security this season as the fifth starter. Lugo, 24, came up in 1985, was 3-4 and appeared ready to move into the rotation last season. He developed arm trouble, however, and underwent surgery in January 1986 to remove a tiny bone fragment from his elbow. He didn’t resume throwing until late April. He was at 1-1 at Midland and then 8-6 at Edmonton before being called up Sept. 1. He was 1-1 with the Angels. Three of his four major league victories have come over the Chicago White Sox.

Darrell Miller 32 Catcher

Miller offers the Angels the flexibility of being able to play catcher, the outfield, first and third base. He made the opening-day roster after hitting .393 last spring but was sent back to Edmonton in May. Miller, 28, made it to the majors at the end of 1984 and has spent part of each of the last three seasons with the Angels. This spring, he’s behind newcomer Butch Wynegar and Jerry Narron. Miller’s brother, Reggie, played basketball for UCLA and his sister, Cheryl, was an All-American basketball player at USC.

Jerry Narron 34 Catcher

Narron played very little behind Bob Boone last season as he appeared in 57 games and had 95 at-bats. He hit .221 and had one home run and eight runs batted in. Narron, 31, played on consecutive days 20 times last season and threw out 11 of 25 who attempted to steal on him. He came up with the Yankees in 1978 before being traded to Seattle in 1979 as part of the deal that sent current Angel teammate Ruppert Jones to New York. Narron came up with the Angels at the end of 1983 and has been here since.

Mark Ryal 6 Outfield

The future may not be now for Ryal as he tries to make it into an already crowded outfield. Ryal, 26, had impressive numbers last season at Edmonton. He hit .340, second best in the Pacific Coast League, with 14 home runs and 84 RBIs. His success continued after being called up Sept. 1. He homered off Baltimore’s Rich Bordi in his first at-bat as an Angel Sept. 2 at Anaheim Stadium. He went on to hit .375 in 13 games, had two home runs and collected two or more hits in five games. He came to the Angels as a free agent in January, 1986.

Gary Pettis 24 Center Field

He has been among the best defensive center fielders in baseball the last two seasons for which he has won consecutive Golde Glove awards. Pettis, 28, led American League outfielders in 1986 with 462 putouts. His speed is also important on the basepaths. In three-plus seasons, he has already set the Angel career stolen base record of 162. He stole a team-high eight bases to lead the team in 1983 despite coming up Sept. 8, stole 48 bases in 1984, 56 in 1985 and 50 last season, including 41 in his last 46 attempts.

Dick Schofield 22 Shortstop

Over the past three seasons, Schofield has settled in to the role of the starting shortstop and is adjusting to major league pitching. He hit .193 in 1984, his first full season, and improved to .219 in 1985. Schofield, 24 and son of former major leaguer Dick Schofield, hit .249 with a career-high 13 home runs last season, including two grand slams, one of which completed the Angels’ best comeback of the season. The Angels rallied for eight runs in the bottom of the ninth Aug. 29 to beat the Tigers, 12-5. Schofield’s slam came off Willie Hernandez.

Gus Polidor 14 Infield

It took only six games last season for Polidor to get an idea of his role with the Angels. In those games, he played, second, shortstop and third. He could be used at second this season if the McLemore experiment fails. Polidor, 25, hit .300 in 119 games last season at Edmonton and .285 in 132 games, also at Edmonton, the season before. He made it to the majors the final month of the 1985 season and returned for the final month last season. He has 8 hits in 20 major league at-bats. He was signed by the Angels out of Venezuela in 1980.

Don Sutton 20 Pitcher

Sutton won his 300th game last season, a 5-1 complete game against Texas June 18. Sutton, 42, enters his 22nd year in the majors with a career record of 310-239, but has won 20 games only once. In 1976, he was 21-10 for the Dodgers. He has pitched for five major league teams--Los Angeles, Houston, Milwaukee, Oakland and California--and he and Doyle Alexander are the only active pitchers to have beaten every team. Started last season losing five of his first seven decisions, but won six straight and finished 15-11.

Devon White 30 Right Field

White, a switch-hitter, moves into the starting lineup in right field. The presences of White, 24, Gary Pettis and Mark McLemore gives the Angels one of the fastest teams in their history. White stole 42 bases in 54 attempts to lead the Pacific Coast League while hitting .291 at Edmonton last season. He came up to the Angels Aug. 31 and hit .224 with six stolen bases in 29 games and was on the roster for the American League Championship Series with Boston. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica.

Mike Witt 39 Pitcher

Over the last three seasons, he has developed into one of the top right-handers in baseball, compiling a 48-30 record. Last season, he was 18-10 and was voted the team’s most valuable player. Witt, who has one of the best curveballs in the game, was a member of the 1986 All-Star team but didn’t appear. Witt, 26, became the 13th player in baseball history to pitch a perfect game when he beat Texas, 1-0, on the last day of the 1984 season. Witt was the Southern Section 4-A player of the Year in 1978 at Servite High in Anaheim.

Rob Wilfong 9 Infield

Wilfong may see plenty of time if McLemore, a switch-hitter, struggles against right-handed pitching. If McLemore can handle the pitching, then Wilfong, 33, will be back to the reserve role he has had most of his career. Wilfong has appeared in more than 100 games in a season only twice in his nine-year career. Last season, he played in 92 games and hit .219. Wilfong came to the Angels during the 1982 season as part of the deal that also brought Doug Corbett in exchange for Tom Brunansky and Mike Walters.

Butch Wynegar 35 Catcher

Wynegar and the Angels may be a perfect match until at least May 1, when Bob Boone is expected to return. Wynegar should be the starting catcher opening day. He left the Yankees in late July 1986 for personal reasons and spent the rest of the season on the restricted list. The switch-hitter was traded to the Angels for Ron Romanick in December. Wynegar, 31, is reunited with Gene Mauch, who managed him in Minnesota in 1976, when he hit .260 with 10 home runs and 69 runs batted in and earned rookie of the year honors.