Platinum Halo

Tim Salmon is candid: “Mike Piazza’s approach is totally different than mine, just as our lives are different. From here on, we’ll take different paths. But I wish him well.”

Salmon, rightfielder for the American League California Angels, and Piazza, catcher for the National League Los Angeles Dodgers, were unanimous Rookie of the Year choices in 1993 by the Baseball Writers Assn. Salmon, square-jawed and blue-eyed, reflects, “Piazza and I both identify with hitting the ball, but Piazza is really into bulk. He wants the power.

“He must feel he needs it, I suppose, because he’s a catcher. I don’t lift weights for the bulk. I don’t need that bulk. I want to stay loose and limber. I’m concerned about bat speed. Maybe Mike isn’t. But you can’t second-guess the numbers he put up.” Piazza hit 35 home runs with 112 RBIs and led the team with a .318 batting average. Salmon hit 31 home runs with 95 RBIs and a .283 batting average. Salmon, though, was out 18 games with a broken finger in September. Last month, the Angels signed him for $7.5 million over four years, the largest second-year contract in baseball history. Piazza’s $4.2-million, three-year contract is second largest.

Piazza and Salmon are statistical clones: They’re both 25, born 11 days apart, and they bat and throw right-handed. Both are 6-foot-3 and weigh 220 pounds.

They are just as dissimilar in their roots, their journeys to the Bigs, their lifestyles.

Michael Joseph Piazza: Easterner. Pennsylvania born and bred. Millionaire father obsessed with son’s baseball career. Private batting cages. Professional grooming. Powerful allies such as Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda.

Timothy James Salmon: Westerner. Born in Long Beach, grew up in Texas and Arizona. Shunted between divorced parents of middle income.

The journey:

Piazza struggles early on. Flu. Food poisoning. Mononucleosis. Split knuckles. Torn ligaments. Difficulty converting from first baseman to catcher. Perceived himself victim of Dodger minor-league politics.

Salmon progresses steadily. Named Phoenix’s high school Player of the Year. Sets career records at Grand Canyon College with 225 runs, 51 home runs, 192 RBIs. In 1991, played a full season with the Angels’ Double-A team in Midland, Tex., hitting .245 with 23 home runs and 94 RBIs. In 1992, led all Pacific Coast League (Triple-A) outfielders with .992 fielding percentage. Selected by Baseball America and The Sporting News as Minor League Player of the Year. Named the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player.

Lifestyle:

Piazza, single, lives in a Manhattan Beach pad. Into golf and heavy metal music. Favorite word is “cool.” Favorite garb is $2,000 leather jacket he got in a trade for a baseball jersey.

Salmon, married since 1989. Wife, Marci. Daughter, Callie. Into mowing his lawn at his home in Phoenix. A born-again Christian four years now.

Concerning the 1994 season, Salmon says: “I don’t fear the so-called sophomore jinx. First, I don’t believe in superstitions. Second . . . if it works, don’t fix it.”