Broken Spring : They’re a Little Late (Something About a Strike), but Major Leaguers Finally Return, and It’s Time to Talk Baseball : ANGELS: Can Lee Smith Close the Gap in AL West?

The pitching rotation is as thin as Kent Tekulve beyond the first three spots. The infielders have provided little power. There isn’t much team speed.

Yet, it’s with a straight face and firm conviction that Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann says this team can contend for the American League West title.

Is this the eternal optimism of spring or a realistic possibility?

Definitely one. Maybe the other.

Baseball’s worst division has not improved much this season, but Lachemann believes he has the one weapon that could push the Angels into contention: bullpen stopper Lee Smith.

The AL West was so bad in 1994 that the Angels finished with a league-worst 47-68 record and still were only 5 1/2 games behind division-leading Texas when the strike began.

But that was when Lachemann employed a musical-closer rotation of Joe Grahe, Mark Leiter and Russ Springer, and had the worst bullpen in the league.

Now he has Smith, the 37-year-old, free-agent acquisition from Baltimore who has averaged 42 saves the past four seasons. The hard-throwing right-hander converted 33 of 39 save opportunities last season for 85%, while the Angel bullpen converted 21 of 32 for 66%.

Project Smith’s conversion ratio to the Angels’ 1994 bullpen, and they wind up with six more victories. And a half-game ahead of the Rangers.

“I think a guy like Lee is worth more than five wins just by himself,” Lachemann said. “When you have a guy like that in the ninth inning, you don’t worry about whether he’s facing lefties or righties. You just give him the ball. I like our bullpen much more now than I did last year.”

The Angels must improve in other areas if Smith is going to have many save opportunities, though. Left-handers Mark Langston, Chuck Finley and Brian Anderson provide a solid pitching foundation, but Lachemann needs a good right-handed starter to emerge during spring training.

The infield is good defensively, but first baseman J.T. Snow, second baseman Damion Easley, shortstop Gary DiSarcina and third basemen Eduardo Perez and Spike Owen combined for only 25 home runs and 146 runs batted in last season.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas (38) and Boston Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn (26) each had more homers in ’94.

Right fielder Tim Salmon and designated hitter Chili Davis provide a good power base, but the Angels need another big bat. And with center fielder Chad Curtis the only legitimate base-stealing threat, they must find ways to generate more offense.

A closer look at the Angels, by position:

STARTING PITCHING

Langston underwent surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow last April and had a sub-par season, going 7-8 with an un-Langston-like 4.68 earned-run average. But his injury paved the way for Anderson’s quick rise to the majors, where the young left-hander went 7-5 as a rookie.

Now the Angels, whose 5.42 team ERA in ’94 was the worst in club history, have a sound Langston and a wiser Anderson. Throw in the veteran Finley, who is entering his 10th season with the Angels, and Lachemann has a solid trio of returning starters.

But the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation make him squirm. Left-hander Joe Magrane, trying to rebound from elbow surgery and a 2-6 season, and Andrew Lorraine, a 22-year-old lefty who was impressive in triple-A last season but may not be ready for the big leagues, are candidates.

So are right-hander Julio Valera, who has not pitched in the majors since elbow surgery in 1993, and 27-year-old righty Shawn Boskie, a non-roster invitee to spring training who pitched for three teams--the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners--last season.

“Somebody from that group has got to have a year that wasn’t expected of them,” Lachemann said.

RELIEF PITCHING

There has been a major upgrade since last season. Smith gives the Angels their first legitimate closer since Bryan Harvey, and it is expected that lefty Mitch Williams will be more comfortable in a setup role, meaning he will probably be asked only to get a tough left-handed hitter out.

Troy Percival, whose fastball has been consistently clocked at more than 90 m.p.h., is being groomed as the team’s next closer, but he’ll likely play a bigger mid-inning to late-inning role early in the season because starters won’t be strong enough to go past the fifth or sixth.

Right-handed power pitchers Springer and Mike Butcher add depth, and the two starting candidates who don’t win jobs in the rotation could move to the bullpen.

CATCHER

Injuries limited Greg Myers to 45 games in ‘94, but Lachemann believes the left-handed hitter can bat in the .260 range with some power and do an adequate job behind the plate. Andy Allanson, a non-roster invitee with extensive major league experience, and youngsters Chris Turner (.242 in ‘94) and Jorge Fabregas (.283) will battle for the backup job.

FIRST BASE

Snow, one of the league’s best defensive first basemen, hit .220 with eight homers and 30 RBIs in ’94. He must produce offensively this season if he is to remain in the Angels’ plans. If not, Lachemann may use designated hitter Davis, left fielder Jim Edmonds or non-roster invitee Carlos Martinez at first.

SECOND BASE

Lachemann believes Easley, who is making the switch from third base, has All-Star caliber tools, but he notes: “The question is which is the real Damion Easley, the guy who hit .313 in 1993 or .215 in ‘94?”

SHORTSTOP

DiSarcina, entering his fourth season as a starter, is not flashy, but he is a solid defensive player who showed during the first two months of ’94 that he can bat .300. But he slumped in June and finished at .260.

THIRD BASE

The highly touted Perez, son of former Cincinnati Reds star Tony Perez, hit five homers in the first 15 games of ‘94--and none for the next two months before being sent to triple-A Vancouver on June 4. He’s not a smooth defensive player, but the Angels think he can hit for power and will give him another chance to prove it this season. If not, utilityman Spike Owen, who hit .310 last season, will fill in.

LEFT FIELD

Edmonds was a pleasant surprise last season, batting .273 and showing good instincts in the outfield. But Lachemann said he “needs to maintain his aggression,” adding: “Every once in a while he gets lackadaisical or gets down on himself.” Rookie Garret Anderson might challenge for the starting job.

CENTER FIELD

As teams try to trim payrolls, Curtis’ $1.9-million contract has made him a target of trade discussions. Lachemann would like to keep him, though. “He makes some mistakes on the basepaths and in the field, but I like the way he plays, aggressively,” Lachemann said. “I’d like everyone to have his kind of attitude.”

RIGHT FIELD

In Salmon, the Angels have one of the best young outfielders in the game. The AL rookie of the year in 1993 when he hit .283 with 31 homers and 95 RBIs, Salmon showed no signs of slowing in ‘94, hitting .287 with 23 homers and 70 RBIs.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Age can’t seem to catch up with Davis, 35, who has been the Angels’ most productive hitter since returning from Minnesota in ’93. The switch-hitter, who batted .311 with 26 homers and 84 RBIs last season, might also play outfield or first base this season.