Facing the Season With Eyes Open : Angels: Whether he starts in the outfield or not, Bichette doesn’t intend to get caught napping again.

One rumor had him headed for Baltimore, another to the Chicago White Sox.

“I heard it every day. People would tell me which team I was going to next,” Angel outfielder Dante Bichette said. “But I said, ‘I won’t believe it until it happens.’ It’s not a good feeling or good to dwell on.

“I’m glad I wasn’t traded. I’m glad to be here. I like this team.”

That he is still with the Angels this spring surprises him. More surprising is that he wants to be with the club even though he is far from assured of starting.

For all his talk of how he improved his bat speed over the winter and how weightlifting added muscle to his already solid 6-foot-3, 225-pound build, Bichette’s most notable off-season addition might be maturity.

Through unpleasant experience, Bichette learned last season that actions speak louder than complaints, especially if his actions are accompanied by the commitment and enthusiasm Manager Doug Rader demands of his players.

After starting 34 of the Angels’ first 35 games and appearing in 38 of the first 39, Bichette was relegated to the bench when Dave Winfield was acquired from the New York Yankees. As Bichette’s playing time dwindled, so did his batting average, his production and, to all appearances, his diligence to the point where he was caught asleep in the clubhouse after a game. Bichette was batting .281 on May 30, but hit .157 in the next two months to sink to .230. After playing all three outfield positions and getting an American League-leading 12 outfield assists in his first 60 games, he did not earn another assist all season.

It wasn’t easy for the 27-year-old Floridian to accept being benched. He did find it easy--too easy--to feel sorry for himself.

“Last year, it was tough for me to lose my job that way, but it helped me do a lot of growing up and learn a lot of things,” said Bichette, who finished with a .255 batting average, 15 home runs and 53 runs batted in. “Maybe it was good for me. . . .

“I believe going through what I did last season could make me more consistent this year. I had a great year for a part-time player. I have to relax and do some of the things I’m capable of. I know my talents and what I’m capable of.

“I know I can be the type of player who drives in 100 runs. That’s the main thing, driving in runs. I’ve got a lot of bat speed and I hit to all fields. I don’t think 30 home runs is out of the question or that hitting .300 is out of the question. I don’t know that I could do it now, but eventually I could be at .300. I’m not denying myself anything, as you can tell.”

But he denied himself the chance to develop his talents when he pouted, a counterproductive activity that teammate Max Venable couldn’t accept.

Venable, who has spent 15 years scrapping for jobs in the major and minor leagues--the Angels are his 13th team--became almost a surrogate father to Bichette. Venable roomed with him, counseled him and prodded him not to squander his talents. With Venable’s guidance, Bichette went 24 for 67 during the last 25 games in which he batted, raising his average 25 points.

“Dante’s got a world of talent, and you don’t want it to get away,” said Venable, who occupies the stall next to Bichette’s in the Angels’ spring training locker room at Gene Autry Park.

“I just gave him professional advice, things I’ve learned and been through, things that can make his life easier. I just kind of helped him along mentally. He thought he should be playing, but sometimes you’ve got to wait your turn. You’ve got to be ready mentally, not just physically. You never know when they’ll come to you and say, ‘You’re playing,’ and you’ve got to keep focused all the time. That’s all I did, tell him that.”

It was nothing Bichette hadn’t heard before. But this time he listened.

“Max taught me how to relax and take the blows,” Bichette said. “He’s been through a lot of stuff, and he’s still managed to get back up. He helped me a lot.”

Venable is among his rivals for an outfield job this spring. Junior Felix will start in center field, and Luis Polonia will play every day in left. Winfield has the first claim on right field, although he probably will be part of Rader’s rotating designated hitter corps. Bichette might play in right on days Winfield is the DH.

According to Bichette’s calculations, that leaves him competing with Venable, Dave Gallagher and Lee Stevens for the fourth outfield spot. If Bichette is to win it, he must first win Rader over.

“He needs to show me consistency. He first needs to get it established within himself, and he needs to demonstrate it,” Rader said. “He needs to put together consistent at-bats at the plate and be consistently ready to play while on the field. If he does those things, we’ll make sure he gets playing time.”

Bichette is prepared to make the most of the time he gets. “I think it’s going to work out,” he said of the outfield situation, “but I don’t know how. There are other outfielders in camp, but I’m ready to win a job and win some games.

“I came to play and I came to win. I’m in better shape than the year before and I’m ready to show what I can do.”