ANGEL PREVIEW : 1987 : Mauch’s New Element: Speed

When Butch Wynegar looks back on the recent past of the Angels, he does so through eyes that once peered from behind the mask of an opposing catcher. And those eyes used to tell him that whenever the Angels were on the schedule, heaven couldn’t be far behind.

“You’d come in here and, as a catcher, it’d almost be like three days off,” says Wynegar, who spent 11 seasons with Minnesota and the New York Yankees. “Keep Gary (Pettis) off base and you’d have nothing to worry about. If your arm wasn’t feeling too good, you could give it a little rest before going into that series with Kansas City.”

The Angels were slow motion without the instant replay. They were baseball’s oldest team and they looked it. Get on base and don’t try anything rash. Conserve your energy and wait for a home run.

In 1983, the Angels stole 41 bases as a team. Rickey Henderson had them beaten by June. The club’s stolen base leader was a 25-year-old rookie who appeared in just 22 games after his recall from Edmonton on Sept. 1. His name was Gary Pettis and he finished with eight steals. Next was Rod Carew, with six.

The Angels were a team built around power and firmly set in their ways. But those eight measly stolen bases were significant, signaling that times were about to change in Anaheim.

Slowly, they would get faster.

In his first three full seasons as an Angel, Pettis stole 48, 56 and 50 bases. He is already the club’s all-time stolen base leader. And last year, he picked up a running mate. Shortstop Dick Schofield got on base often enough to attempt 28 steals--succeeding 23 times.

Today, as the Angels open their 1987 season against the Seattle Mariners at Anaheim Stadium, the transformation nears completion. Aging sluggers Reggie Jackson and Bobby Grich are gone, replaced by a couple of rookies, Devon White and Mark McLemore, who combined for 109 stolen bases in the minors last season. That makes it a footloose foursome.

“We have three guys who can scoot and one short little white guy,” says Schofield, who is short and little and white. “We’re like a track team.” Or at least a relay team.

Now Wynegar, another new Angel, says he’s glad to have been called away from enemy lines.

“They’re going to keep you on your toes,” Wynegar said, addressing his brothers in shin guards. “They’re going to be fun to watch. Speed is a nice little extra weapon.”

Manager Gene Mauch, heretofore baseball’s leading proponent of the sacrifice bunt, is intrigued by the idea of moving from first base to second without giving up an out. He looks at the Angels’ young speedsters and sees great possibilities. He calls them his rabbits.

Tell us about the rabbits, Gene.

“I’ve never had four people in the same lineup who can run like those in our lineup--ever,” Mauch said.

“The power potential may not be as it was in the past, but the speed potential is much greater. And speed is the most stimulating thing in baseball.

“When you add speed, it’s not just running and stealing bases. Defensive speed is very important. You’re going to see a lot of balls caught that were not caught in the past. You’re going to see a lot of dust flying around the bases that you haven’t seen before.”

But to bring youth and speed to a team that won three division titles in eight years with proven power, sacrifices had to be made.

To play White in right field, Mauch will have to scrap the platoon of Ruppert Jones and George Hendrick (a combined 31 home runs and 96 RBIs in 1986). McLemore replaces Grich, the leading home run hitter in Angel history.

New left fielder Jack Howell, who can also run a lick, replaces Brian Downing, who replaces the departed Reggie Jackson as designated hitter. Jackson hit 123 homers in five seasons with the Angels.

Wally Joyner surpassed all reasonable expectations by hitting 22 home runs as a rookie but wouldn’t be shocked if he leveled off at half that total this season.

“The home runs were probably the only thing surprising to me in 1986,” Joyner said. “I’m a Keith Hernandez-type hitter, who has a lot of power but hits more line drives, puts the ball in play, doesn’t strike out and hits for average.”

That leaves Doug DeCinces ( 26 home runs and 96 RBIs last season) and Downing (20 homers and 95 RBIs) as the Angels’ only real long-ball threats. Both were free agents last winter and before they were re-signed, the Angels grew nervous enough to offer a contract to Jones, a player they had cut loose earlier.

“I kind of look at it as, ‘What if I didn’t sign?’ ” DeCinces said. “This team is going to have to adjust to what it can and cannot do. We’ll have to play fundamental baseball, with strong pitching and defense. . . . We don’t have enough to make mistakes and expect to get five runs back the next inning.”

Mauch admits that “watching Downing and Reggie hit the ball over the fence was pretty fun.” But, he adds, “The most fun is winning. I don’t care if they trot across the plate or slide across it. It’s a run both ways.”

First things first, though. Speed on the basepaths is useless unless you get on base. Consider the track records of the fastest Angels.

--Pettis has a .251 batting average in the major leagues.

--Schofield has a .221 batting average in the major leagues.

--White has 13 major league hits, McLemore none.

Add Howell’s .236 major big league average and Wynegar’s .217 mark over the past two seasons to the lineup and you realize what type of gamble the Angels are taking.

White and McLemore have lessened the concern with strong spring performances. White, in fact, was a sensation--batting .371 while leading the Angels in every major offensive category. McLemore batted .301 in exhibition games with 17 runs and 10 RBIs.

Still, it helps to have the best pitching and defense in the division. Mike Witt, Kirk McCaskill, John Candelaria, Don Sutton and Urbano Lugo are capable of doing a lot with a little. If the Angels are to successfully defend their 1986 Western Division championship, they will probably do so with a lot of 3-2 and 2-1 scores.

DeCinces ponders this prognosis and says: “I like the idea that the other team is only gonna score one or two runs.”

So does Mauch.

“It will boil down, to a great extent, to how well we pitch,” Mauch said. “Because a team plays just about as well as it pitches.

“Our pitchers won’t have as good a chance to win when they pitch poorly. Last year, a lot of teams sent young pitchers out there and they were half-beaten before they got on the mound because of the presence of people like Reggie and Grich, people they read about all their lives.

“We don’t have that presence anymore. We’ll have to win those games by ourselves this year.”

A closer look at the 1987 Angels:

STARTING

PITCHING

If Candelaria has a leg to stand on, this should be the best starting five in the league.

Witt and McCaskill combined for 35 victories last season and could be good for 40 this time around. During one four-start stretch this spring, Witt retired 29 batters without allowing a hit. McCaskill got a late start because of his contract holdout, but Sunday against the Dodgers, he showed he’d made up for lost time, striking out nine and allowing one earned run in six innings.

Sutton, who just turned 42, completed spring training with 12 consecutive scoreless innings against San Diego and the Dodgers. Asked if he could detect any differences in Sutton, Mauch said, “not an ounce.”

And, yes, Sutton has finally found a purpose to 1987 after claiming he had run out of goals with the achieving of his 300th victory. If Sutton wins his first four starts, Mauch will relieve Sutton of the daily drudgery of picking up baseballs during batting practice, “even if I have to do it myself.”

Said Sutton: “That’s the greatest motivation a man could have.”

Lugo won the No. 5 berth and, the operable word is won. If he finishes better than 6-17, he’ll be an improvement over what the fifth spot produced in 1986.

Candelaria is still bothered by numbness in his lower right calf--the leg he lands on after making his delivery--but he plans to pitch on it. He will start Wednesday’s game against the Mariners. Expect to see a bunt or two pushed his way.

RELIEF

PITCHING

The makeup of the opening day bullpen: Two suspect shoulders, two rookies and another pitcher with 46 major league innings to his credit.

Donnie Moore was the Cortisone Kid last season, getting five injections to keep his shoulder and rib cage in working order. A new weight-training program showed dividends in spring training--he had a 1-0 record, a 1.59 ERA and a save--but the days of Moore, Moore, Moore may be over.

“Donnie Moore can’t go out there every day,” Mauch said. “We’ll have to use somebody else to come in and close a game.”

Mauch will have to avoid overworking his best relief pitcher, but if rookies Willie Fraser and Mike Cook show some early nerves, the temptation might be too great. Watch this situation closely.

The condition of Gary Lucas’ shoulder is also tenuous--he got a cortisone shot last week--but his scoreless inning against the Dodgers Sunday persuaded the Angels to give it a go. Lucas threw just seven innings in spring training and, essentially, will pitch himself into shape during the season. In the meantime, second-year man Chuck Finley figures as the first left-hander out of the bullpen.

INFIELD

Will the real Wally please stand up? At the All-Star break in 1986, Joyner was the league’s most valuable player--batting .313 with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs. After that , he was just another rookie--.257, 2 home runs, 28 RBIs. Which will the 1987 model more resemble?

Mauch has been unable to get much of a reading thus far, with Joyner in and out of the lineup because of a sore hamstring, but says: “He’ll never improve on the first half, but he can improve on the second half. Wally knows there’ll be more heat this year--a hell of a lot more. He was a big, big surprise last year and now, he’s supposed to do it. But I believe he’ll handle it. When things like that came up last year, he handled it OK.”

Suddenly, the Angels have one of the youngest infields in the league. Joyner is beginning his second year at first base, McLemore is beginning his first at second base and Schofield is beginning his fourth at shortstop. With Monday’s release of Rob Wilfong, another rookie, Gus Polidor, becomes the utility infielder.

DeCinces is the lone old-timer left and Mauch is relying on him to provide direction as well as power. “I’m looking for Doug to do his stuff,” Mauch said.

It should also be one of the best infields in the league. “I don’t know how you can play steadier than we did last year, but McLemore will shag down balls nobody else gets to,” Mauch said.

OUTFIELD

Pettis will be the center fielder. Other than that, Mauch will resort to combinations. Against right-handed pitchers, White will start in right and Howell in left. Against left-handers, Hendrick will be in right with White moving over to left. And on occasion, Downing, the new designated hitter, will return to left to give his legs a tune-up.

Meshing the speed and talents of Pettis and White has taken some time, with White admittedly tentative about moving from his best position, center field. But Mauch envisions no problems.

“I could put both Jones and Hendrick in right and White would still catch more balls,” he said.

CATCHING

All is not lost until May 1, when the Angels can resume contract negotiations with unsigned free agent Bob Boone. With Wynegar and Darrell Miller in the interim, the Angels still have the best catching in the division--unless the names Ed Hearn, Don Slaught, Mickey Tettleton, Tim Laudner, Ron Karkovice and Dave Valle do anything for you.

Wynegar will no doubt give the Angels a little more offense than Boone, but he is still adjusting to working with a new pitching staff. And as for throwing out base stealers, so far this spring, Wynegar admits he has been average.

“Boone was so successful at everything,” Wynegar said. “People are going to say, ‘Boonie would’ve thrown more people out.’ Well, he’s the top defensive catcher in baseball. I can only do what I can do. I don’t want people to compare me to Boone. Give me a chance.”

BENCH

Mauch puts a premium on versatility, which is why Miller and Polidor are on the opening-day roster. Miller, who batted .415 in the spring, can catch, play third base and all three outfield positions. Polidor will play at shortstop, second and third base. Howell, too, will be moved around the diamond--from left to third to even second if necessary.

Hendrick, who bats right, and Jones, who bats left, provide power potential as pinch-hitters. Mark Ryal batted just .239 in spring training, but Mauch kept him as the second left-handed pinch-hitter over Wilfong, who hit only .095 in the spring, and Jerry Narron, who hit .200.

MANAGER

After a quarter-century as a big league manager, Mauch remains set in his ways. Oh, he’ll probably steal more and bunt less this year, but he’ll still tinker with his lineup every day. “You know me,” he says.

He also will manage one of his youngest teams ever. Six rookies and four second-year players dot the Angels’ roster. Counting McCaskill and Miller, half the club has two years or less experience in the major leagues.

Mauch, however, believes the overhaul of the Angels was overdue.

“I think we’d gone as far as we could the other way,” he said. “I think it reached its limits. I don’t feel, as we were constituted last year, that we could win 90 games again.”

How about the 1987 constitution?

“I don’t know,” Mauch said. “Last year, we knew more about winning. We had experienced players who had been there before. But this team has more ability to play. And that boils down to being younger and faster.

“If Devon White, Jack Howell and Mark McLemore play even close to what they’re capable of, we’ll be just as effective.”