Angels Count Their Blessings With Abbott

There are probably a dozen good reasons why Jim Abbott shouldn’t be on the Angels opening-day roster: Too young . . . too precious . . . too soon . . . too risky . . . too distracting . . . too nice . . . too vulnerable . . . too storybook . . . too desperate . . .too suspect . . . too unpolished . . . too convenient.

Now for a retort: Too bad.

After all, who cares about 12 good reasons calling for Abbott’s departure to the minors when there is one great reason why he belongs in the majors?

Quite simply, Abbott is ready.

You remain skeptical, don’t you? You wonder how Abbott, who looks as if he hung out at the campus malt shop, could possibly be ready to tour the American League. You notice that he is polite, thoughtful and sincere--qualities usually seen in glee club members, not major league pitchers. So accommodating is Abbott that you don’t know whether to laugh or frisk him for merit badges.

You’re also a tiny bit curious why Abbott, just 21, doesn’t need a little seasoning, a little visit to the minors before he dons an Angel uniform. Since when does a guy get to go directly to the Big A before spending some time at double-A?

And with all due respect, you say, the kid, bless his heart, was born with only one good hand. What happens if someone bunts? What about pickoff moves? And are you sure he’s OK out there?

Yes, well, Angel Manager Doug Rader had his doubts, too. Then Abbott started conducting these real quiet batting practices in Mesa. Simon and Garfunkel would have been proud, what with all the sounds of silence.

Here’s how it went: Abbott threw. Angel hitters swung. Angel hitters missed.

Then Abbott made an appearance against the San Diego Padres’ B-team in gusty, chilly Yuma . . . and mowed down the junior varsity like a Briggs and Stratton.

Then he struck out Oakland Athletics he-man Jose Canseco in front of a packed house in Phoenix.

Then he struck out Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn, last season’s National League batting champion, in front of a packed house in Palm Springs.

Then he rested.

Mind you, Abbott isn’t the answer to Angel pitching woes, but he’s a start. Better yet, he’s a starter, which is nice, considering the state of the Angel rotation.

Hey, I’m no expert, but Gwynn is. And it was Gwynn, with the count 1-2, who whiffed on a bodacious Abbott slider this week in exhibition play. If you’re keeping a total--and Gwynn was--it was the outfielder’s first strikeout of the spring. Sixty at-bats. One--count ‘em, one--strikeout.

“His ball moves a lot, that’s a good sign,” Gwynn said later. “He doesn’t just throw it hard and lay it in there.”

Still unconvinced? So was Angel vice president Mike Port, who, like everyone else, expected Abbott to start the season in Midland. So was Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann, a man so thorough and careful he probably reads bottle cap instructions.

But to the credit of the Angel bosses, they kept an open mind about Abbott. Abbott thanked them by pitching his way onto the team and into the rotation.

This is no ordinary No. 1 free agent draft choice we’re talking about here. Abbott is special, and not just because of a birth defect. He is one of the guys and, at the same time, one in a million.

Sure he’s young, but shortstop Gary Sheffield and outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., are younger--and they’ll begin the seasons as starters for the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, respectively. Funny, but no one is pacing the halls over their birth dates.

But they played in the minors, you say.

So what? Abbott played in Havana . . . in front of Fidel. He played in Seoul and has an Olympic gold medal to prove it. He played in the World Baseball Championships in Italy. And I’ll bet he endured more, traveled more miles, consented to more interviews than Sheffield and Griffey combined last year.

Too young? Too soon? Too nice? Too unpolished? As Rader might say, “Gimme a break.” The only thing Abbott was guilty of this spring was being too good.

And while we’re at it, let’s dispose of several other concerns, beginning with too distracting. Abbott might be a curiosity piece right now, but he isn’t a sideshow. Watch him pitch for two minutes and you forget about his handicap and instead, remember his slider or cut fastball. He may have only one good hand, but, ah, is it ever attached to an absolutely golden left arm.

As for too vulnerable--forget it. Abbott’s resolve is harder than carbon. He went from no-shot to long shot to starter in less than six weeks. That’s not being vulnerable; it’s being successful.

He had help, of course. Dan Petry is struggling, as is Kirk McCaskill. Chuck Finley is unpredictable. When the opportunity presented itself, Abbott simply responded. In fact, if you asked Angel officials to rank their pitchers by talent, Abbott might finish as high as fifth, so questionable is the rotation and bullpen.

Too precious? Too risky? Too convenient? Let me get this straight: the Angels drafted him first in 1988. They love his 90 m.p.h. fastball, his hard slider. So what’s wrong with admitting he’s gifted enough to pitch in the majors right now? And what’s the risk? A bruised ego if he loses a few?

One other point: What’s the alternative? If not Abbott in the rotation, who then? Convenience has little to do with it. The Angels need him and Abbott has earned the chance.

Which brings us to too desperate. Port may have his debatable methods, but he isn’t a fool. You think Port would OK Abbott’s selection to the Angel roster without first considering every possible angle? No way.

And for those who think the whole thing is a publicity stunt, think again. Sure, the Angels’ image needs a wax and buff job after last season, but that wasn’t why they drafted Abbott. After all, a heartwarming story only goes so far.

And remember that the Angels drew more than two million fans last season without Abbott. Abbott likely will nudge the figures upward, but only if he pitches well enough to stay for the season.

A dozen good reasons why he doesn’t belong, eh? Count again; your math is way off.