Candelaria Put on Disabled List to Resume Counseling, Wynegar Says

John Candelaria’s return to the disabled list last Friday was prompted by the Angel pitcher’s reluctance to attend regular counseling sessions, a teammate said Tuesday. Candelaria had been arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated twice before being put on the disabled list last month.

Angel catcher Butch Wynegar, who missed the last two months of the 1986 season to undergo psychiatric counseling for mental depression, said that Candelaria “went to only one or two sessions and then stopped” after returning from his first stint on the disabled list May 29. Last week, the club reacted by putting Candelaria on the disabled list again with instructions that he continue therapy.

“Candy was fighting himself and the brass above,” Wynegar said. “He was saying, ‘I won’t go. I’m not gonna do it.’ It’s a normal reaction. You fight yourself and you build a barrier between you and everybody else. Anytime anyone tries to force you into something, you resist.

“The same thing happened with me. People tell you that you have a problem, but you have a tendency not to recognize it. I was told I was depressed and I say, ‘No. I’m not.’ I couldn’t see it.

“The Angels probably told him, ‘You go back (to counseling) or you don’t pitch.’ I can see them saying that. If you don’t get enough counseling, if you don’t go regularly, it’s very easy to get into the same rut.”

A club source confirmed that Candelaria had stopped attending counseling sessions once he was restored to the 24-man roster earlier this month, but said the team did not give Candelaria an ultimatum to resume treatment.

Candelaria was first placed on the disabled list May 15 after two arrests in one month for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He has attended several meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.

It is believed Candelaria’s problem stems from depression over the 1985 death of his 2-year-old son, John Robert. Currently, Candelaria’s primary therapy is family counseling.

Candelaria had undergone such counseling periodically after the December 1985 death of John Robert, who spent nearly a year in a coma after a swimming pool accident. After the two arrests, the Angels recommended that Candelaria intensify his family counseling.

“I can’t blame the Angels,” Wynegar said. “Candy was caught twice for (suspicion of) DUI. If he gets in an accident, the ballclub could be liable for a lot of things. Potentially, there could be a big lawsuit.”

Wynegar said he talked with Candelaria several times in the past month, but never to offer advice.

“I’m not sure if the guy wants to be talked to. If Candy reaches out or just wants to talk about what’s wrong, I’ll listen,” Wynegar said.

“Candy is a lot like I was. He’s his own person and he keeps things inside. Maybe he feels nobody understands what is going on.”

Candelaria has declined to talk with the media since his return from the disabled list on May 29.

The Angels placed Candelaria on the 15-day disabled list, but Wynegar believes the pitcher will need more than two weeks before he’s ready to rejoin the club.