Angels Turn to Past, Sign Carew to Coach : Baseball: Hall of Famer joins staff to instruct hitters. Former Kansas City Manager Wathan also hired.

Rod Carew used to sit in front of his television and critique the Angels’ hitters. Now, he’ll be paid to do it from close range.

Carew, who won seven American League batting titles during his 19-year career and was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, joined the Angels’ coaching staff Tuesday as the team’s batting coach. His return ends a period of estrangement that began with his unceremonious release after the 1985 season.

“I was bitter, but I can’t keep on being that way. Any player in my position would have felt that way,” Carew said at an Anaheim Stadium news conference. “After a while, I found myself doing other things and enjoying them. . . . I’ve been ready to come back for about two years. I had opportunities elsewhere, but one of the things that kept me away is my fear of flying. One of the good things about this is that I’ll be home a lot more.”

When he watched games in his Anaheim Hills living room, he said, “My wife would come in or a friend and I’d see a guy approach a pitch the wrong way and I’d say, ‘He should have done this,’ or ‘He should have picked up the spin or pulled the ball.’ I’d spend a lot of time watching hitters. I think I can help.”

Carew will rely on the help of Deron Johnson, who will move from hitting instructor to dugout coach. In other changes, former Kansas City Royal Manager John Wathan was named the Angels’ third base coach and Ken Macha, who worked with Angel Manager Buck Rodgers in Montreal, was named the bullpen coach. Bobby Knoop will move from third to first base, and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann, bullpen catcher Rick Turner and conditioning coach Jimmie Reese will retain their roles.

Carew’s hiring continues club President Richard Brown’s policy of strengthening links to the team’s past. Carew was inducted into the Angels’ Hall of Fame last summer.

“I wanted Rod Carew in the organization, and Buck wanted Rod Carew even before he knew my plan to get people back into the organization,” Brown said. “When he said he wanted Rod as the hitting instructor, I said, ‘Tremendous.’ ”

Carew faces a formidable task. The Angels ranked 13th in the AL in slugging percentage, on-base percentage and runs, and last in walks, but Carew sees potential he hopes to refine.

“I know Dick Schofield can be a better hitter. Junior Felix can be a better hitter because I watched Felix when he was with Toronto, and Luis Sojo can do a lot more as far as staying within himself,” said Carew, who tutors hitters at his baseball school in Placentia and was a baserunning and bunting coach in the Cleveland Indians’ organization last season.

“I don’t expect to teach them to stand the way I stand. The thing is that they have the basic fundamentals of hitting. I am not going to try to change anyone--I’m going to try to improve them. I want them to be ready at all times, so they will know how to handle every pitch that comes up there. Every swing has to mean something. . . . I’m a very basic teacher.”

According to Rodgers, Carew is a good teacher. “I sent players from Montreal to his school,” said Rodgers, who unsuccessfully tried to hire Carew as the Expos’ hitting instructor four years ago. “He was a good get-on-base, get-’em-over, get-’em-in type hitter and we need that type of hitter in our plan of attack. This is not a whim.”

Wathan, who grew up in San Diego, managed the Royals from August, 1987, until his dismissal May 22. He was recommended to Rodgers by Angel Senior Vice President Whitey Herzog, once Wathan’s boss in Kansas City. Wathan, 42, said he plans to be an aggressive coach.

“That’s the way I was as a baserunner and a player. I stole a lot of bases for a catcher,” said Wathan, who set a major league record for catchers with 36 steals in 1982. “I think I can help in spring training. I used to teach in spring training even as a manager. Offense is very important, obviously, and Rod will help in that regard. I think this is going to be a great staff.”

Brown said the Angels are “very vigorously” pursuing free agents Schofield, Wally Joyner and Kirk McCaskill and said he would be “very disappointed” if the team did not re-sign all three. He said he anticipated the club will contact several free agents but had not done so yet. Asked if Bobby Bonilla and Danny Tartabull were on that list, Brown said, “Those two ballplayers would whet anybody’s appetite. Whitey and Dan (O’Brien, the senior vice president for baseball operations) will be sitting down and dividing things up.”

Angel Notes

Ticket prices will not increase next season, remaining at $11, $9, $8, $7 and $6 for reserved seats and $4 for general admission. Kids’ general admission (15 and under) Monday through Thursday will remain at $1. . . . The Angels’ Arizona Instructional League team won the title in the eight-team league for the second successive season. Outfielder Eduardo Perez, the Angels’ top draft pick in 1991, hit .283 with one home run and 11 runs batted in in 31 games. Outfielder Tyrone Boykin led the team with a .412 batting average. Right-handers Victor Silverio and Justin Martin led the pitching staff with four victories each.