New Form of Fernandomania Sweeps Angel Clubhouse : Baseball: Only fifth starter Scott Lewis isn’t overjoyed with the announcement of Valenzuela signing.

As the press conference announcing the signing of Fernando Valenzuela was under way upstairs Monday evening, Angel pitcher Scott Lewis sat in the Anaheim Stadium clubhouse and pondered his future.

Neither Angel Manager Doug Rader nor pitching coach Marcel Lachemann had told him how the acquisition would affect Lewis, the fifth starter in the rotation, but the rookie right-hander didn’t need an explanation.

“They don’t have to tell me anything,” said Lewis, who is 1-4 with a 6.21 earned-run average. “It means I have to get it in gear or suffer the consequences. There’s nothing I can do. I just have to try to go out and win, and if the cards start falling my way, everything will be OK.”

But no matter how the cards are cut, the deck appears stacked against Lewis. Valenzuela is scheduled to make his first start Wednesday night at Palm Springs, the same night Lewis will be pitching against the Chicago White Sox in Anaheim Stadium.

If the team deems Valenzuela strong enough to join the Angels’ rotation soon, Lewis likely will return to triple-A Edmonton, where he spent most of the 1990 season.

“It looks like Wednesday is a big night,” Lewis said. “I won’t approach it any differently. The intensity factor will be a little higher and maybe I’ll rise to it. But I’m not going to overburden myself and have it backfire on me.”

Most players were confident the Valenzuela signing wouldn’t backfire on the Angels. With the possible exception of Lewis, player reaction to the move was favorable.

“If he can get people out like he has in the past, shoot, it’s not gonna hurt us any,” catcher Lance Parrish said. “I’ve heard good things about him, but it remains to be seen. I could sit here and say he’s going to be awesome, but I don’t know.”

Added right fielder Dave Winfield: “He’s been a heck of a pitcher throughout the years. It would make it very interesting if he can contribute here.”

One thing that might work in Valenzuela’s favor is the fact that few American League players have faced him, and few A.L. pitchers throw the screwball.

“He’s a crafty old veteran,” designated hitter Dave Parker said. “He’ll be new to a majority of the players in this league, so he should have success the first time around. People are going to have to adjust to him.

“If he has a couple of good outings he could have a major impact. He’ll strengthen an already strong staff. We already feel good about our chances of winning the division, but he could enhance that feeling even more.”

Valenzuela should also enhance the Angels’ performance at the gate, where attendance has sagged this season.

“He’ll draw a lot of people here,” left fielder Luis Polonia said. “Hispanic people aren’t too happy with the Dodgers right now, and they love baseball. I’m excited. I can’t wait to see him here. I hope he comes back to where he belongs and wins like he did. He’s still Fernando Valenzuela.”

But will he be the same Fernando Valenzuela who spawned the sensation known as “Fernandomania” in the early 1980s and had a 99-58 record in his first seven seasons with the Dodgers? Or the Fernando who struggled in his last four seasons, going 42-48 and getting released in spring training this year?

It’s too early to tell, but former Dodger pitcher Jerry Reuss thinks the change of scenery--OK, a change of exits off the freeway--might be good for Valenzuela.

“It might be a new beginning for him,” said Reuss, a Dodger teammate of Valenzuela’s from 1981-87 who is now a commentator on ESPN baseball telecasts. “Sometimes players get stagnant with the same team. A new start here might revitalize his competitive juices. I know this much, the first time he pitches here, this stadium will be full.

“And I’m sure there will be a curiosity factor in the American League. Who knows, maybe a whole new form of Fernandomania will start in the 1990s.”