Young Prospects Have Angels Dreaming of Things to Come : Baseball: Don’t be surprised to see unfamiliar names and faces at Anaheim Stadium as early as next month.

The Angels continue to rave about their catchers, their left-handed pitcher, their ace reliever, their second baseman and their outfielders.

You probably haven’t heard their names or seen them play yet, but you soon might.

The future is in Vancouver, Midland, Tex., Palm Springs, Boise, Ida., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it answers to the name of “prospect.”

With the Angels out of the American League West race for all intents and purposes, the club has renewed its commitment to youth and cost-cutting. It hasn’t been all bad and certainly nothing like the fire sale in San Diego.

Many of the best minor leaguers in the organization already have made their mark, others are just starting to raise eyebrows and prompt fans to flood the radio talk shows with calls.

Will Tim Salmon be the AL rookie of the year?

Is Eduardo Perez a legit third baseman?

What’s with this Hilly Hathaway?

Who’s coming up next?

Good question.

On Sept. 1, when major league teams can expand their rosters to 40 players, the Angels will no doubt introduce more fresh young faces.

“I think we’ve done very well, drafted very well,” said Dan O’Brien, Angel vice president, baseball operations. “Our (minor league) program is as good as most, perhaps better than most. Look at the people who have come up and contributed.”

Salmon, the front-runner for the rookie of the year award, was the minor league player of the year in 1992. Chad Curtis, Gary DiSarcina, Damion Easley and John Orton haven’t been in the majors long but have quickly established themselves as big leaguers. Hathaway, Mike Butcher and Phil Leftwich have pitched effectively since being called up from the minors this season.

The question facing Angel officials is whether there is more where that came from.

They say yes.

“Vancouver is a good, young team and is going to be good for a long time,” said club President Richard Brown of the triple-A affiliate. “I’m very pleased with what we’ve got (in the minor league system).”

Help will come first from Vancouver, then double-A Midland, but rest assured the Angels are determined to take a good, long look at their young players.

Already, it’s clear the Angels will need help next season at catcher, where Orton, Greg Myers and Ron Tingley have shared the position without one emerging as a full-time starter. There will be a job opening for a left fielder, unless the Angels re-sign Luis Polonia. His salary--a hefty $2.475 million this year--will probably be more than the club wants to spend.

Pitchers and first and third basemen also will be in demand.

“It depends who you talk to,” O’Brien said when asked about the most pressing needs for next season. “We need another bat in the lineup and some middle relief pitching. Butcher has started to emerge and if we get (Joe) Grahe back on track, coming around to his 1992 form, we’ve got two pretty good people to close out games.

“When you talk about pressing needs, you’re talking about a pretty wide berth. It’s difficult to narrow it down. Everybody wants more speed, more pitching, more power. But we could use a healthy catcher, who can throw and catch and run a game and play 140 to 150 games a year.”

There are two strong candidates to fill the void at catcher.

Here is a closer look at them and eight others:

AT VANCOUVER

Mark Holzemer, starting pitcher--Manager Buck Rodgers had trouble remembering his name, but Holzemer was one of the final cuts last spring. The Angels liked Holzemer’s stuff and his attitude and he has done nothing to change their minds at Vancouver. Plus, he’s left-handed.

He’s a lock to be called up Sept. 1 and this time the Angels might have a more difficult time getting him out of the starting rotation.

In 21 starts, he’s 7-6 with a 4.92 ERA.

John Jackson, outfielder--O’Brien didn’t mention Jackson’s name in his rundown of the best and brightest, but Jackson is an interesting prospect. A former player for the NFL’s Phoenix Cardinals, Jackson is playing his first full season in pro baseball. Two games after a recent promotion to Vancouver, he went four for four.

He’s hitting .268 after 34 games in triple-A. Jackson batted .325 at Midland before his promotion.

Chris Turner, catcher--”Turner I see at the major league level,” O’Brien said. Barring a significant off-season trade, he will contend for the Angels’ starting spot next spring. He’s almost sure to be with the club starting Sept. 1.

He’s batting .276 and has a .394 on-base percentage.

AT MIDLAND

Jorge Fabregas, catcher--O’Brien said Fabregas might develop into a better offensive player faster than Turner. Fabregas gives the Angels a second strong catching prospect no matter how you look at it. Considering the position has been staffed by committee this season, Fabregas might get his shot sooner rather than later.

He’s batting .280 with six homers and 42 RBIs.

Jose Musset, relief pitcher--He’s a right-handed side-armer who is particularly tough on right-handed hitters. “If Dan Quisenberry had had a fastball, he’d have been Jose Musset,” baseball analyst Bill James writes in his 1993 player ratings book. “He probably throws 88 m.p.h., but varies arm angle from high side-arm to submarine and the ball looks like a bullet.”

Slowly growing accustomed to a relief role, he could be just what the Angels’ ineffective bullpen needs next season.

Despite a 4.44 ERA and a 1-5 record, he has 21 saves.

Chris Pritchett , first base--First base is J.T. Snow’s spot to lose, according to O’Brien. The Angels remain committed to him, despite his demotion to Vancouver to sort out his hitting troubles.

Pritchett is a good fielder but appears to be a singles and doubles hitter. He’s hitting .327 with two homers and 59 RBIs.

AND FOUR MORE

Brian Anderson, pitcher--The Angels’ No. 1 pick in the June draft is getting in shape in Mesa, Ariz., having signed too late to play in ’93. “I think he’s a significant addition,” O’Brien said. “I think you’ll see that down the road.”

Certainly, the 21-year-old left-hander’s credentials at Wright State (Ohio) were impressive. He finished his junior season with a 10-1 record and a 1.14 ERA. He had 98 strikeouts and only six walks in 95 innings. Of course, that’s at Wright State, a Division I school that plays in the Mid-Continent Conference.

Anderson couldn’t be happier to have signed with a team bent on developing its young talent. “After the draft, I followed the Angels’ progress closely,” he said. “They’re committed to playing a lot of young guys.”

Kevin Flora, second baseman--The club plans to send Flora to the Arizona Fall League in October, hoping the extra work will make up for a considerable layoff while he recovered emotionally from the death of his wife.

His numbers have been outstanding at Vancouver and with Easley’s status uncertain because of chronic shin splints, Flora’s value increases dramatically. In 23 games, he batted .310.

Pete Janicki, pitcher--The Angels’ No. 1 pick in the June, 1992 draft, Janicki fractured his right elbow striking out a batter in the second inning of his first professional game at Palm Springs. So what’s his future? No one is sure.

The club liked Janicki, a former standout at UCLA and El Dorado High, because he seemed to have all the tools. He is 6 feet 4 and strong, having led UCLA with 150 strikeouts and seven complete games. But last year a stress fracture in the same elbow forced him from the U.S. Olympic team trials.

J.T. Snow, first baseman--Everyone seemed to forget that Snow played only seven major league games before ripping through April with a .343 average, six homers and 17 RBIs. When his swing deserted him, some wondered if he wasn’t simply a one-month wonder. Now, his swing and his confidence are slowly returning at Vancouver.

After 12 games, he’s batting .209. “We haven’t abandoned him,” O’Brien said. “He’s hit well enough (recently) and that, in and of itself, is encouraging.”

In other words, don’t be surprised to see Snow playing first base on opening day, 1994.