Fear Not, Trade Could Make Angels Better

They are words that tingle the spine, curdle the blood and make a strong man weak in the knees--and we heard them again on Thursday:

The Angels today traded . . . Instantaneously, a paralyzing fear grips the brain.

Who got wasted this time?

How bad is it?

Chuck Finley for Junior Noboa?

Mark Langston for Michael Jordan?

Tim Salmon for Kelly Gruber?

No, Thursday it was Chad Curtis for Tony Phillips.

First reaction (after removing hands from eyes): OK. It could have been worse.

Second reaction: They traded a 26-year-old outfielder who stole 25 bases last season for a 36-year-old outfielder who stole 13. Same old Angels.

Third reaction: Phillips plays left field, center field and right field. Also third base, second base, first base and shortstop. Another utility man. So Spike Owen, Rex Hudler, Rod Correia, Rene Gonzales, Luis Raven and Mark Dalesandro weren’t enough?

Fourth reaction: Curtis was due to make $1.9 million this year and $2 million the next. Bottom line--they dumped another contract.

Sixty-second conclusion: There goes Chad Curtis, the next Devon White.

Except . . .

Losing White wasn’t as half as bad for the Angels as what they received: Luis Sojo, Junior Felix and Ken Rivers. Also known as Next To Nothing.

Phillips is a legitimate leadoff hitter (unlike Curtis), draws a lot of walks (unlike Curtis), had a 1994 on-base percentage of more than .400 (unlike Curtis), hit 19 home runs in 1994 (unlike Curtis), occasionally listens to the advice of batting coaches (unlike Curtis) and doesn’t need a second locker stall for the chip on his shoulder (unlike Curtis).

The last time the major leagues played a full schedule, Phillips led the American League with 132 walks. Last season, in 114 games, Phillips walked 95 times, placing him third in the league. His on-base percentage of .409 also ranked among the league leaders.

Curtis’ numbers: 37 bases on balls, .317 on-base percentage--not quite what you look for in a leadoff hitter.

But the Angels looked there anyway, because on this team of mudders and plodders, Curtis could actually run. He stole 91 bases over his first two seasons, and his 25 steals in 1994 were almost half the team total. After Luis Polonia left, who else could the Angels stick at the top of the lineup? Bo Jackson and his artificial hip? Damion Easley and his shin splints?

Curtis drew the straw, even if he balked every step of the way. That is one comparison between Curtis and White that holds true--when they were with the Angels, neither wanted anything to do with leading off. Curtis was convinced he belonged second or third in the order. He wanted to swing for the fences, not the opposite field. Bases on balls bored him. He got this far--from the 45th round in the draft to the Angels’ starting nine--by doing it his own way. No one was going to change him now.

Not even Rod Carew, the Hall of Fame singles hitter and bunter extraordinaire who serves as the Angels’ batting instructor. Carew devoted 1994 to making a leadoff man out of Curtis. Thanks, but no thanks, Curtis told him. At least when they were on speaking terms.

By the time the strike hit, Curtis was batting .256, with fewer walks than Spike Owen, and Jim Edmonds (four stolen bases) was batting leadoff. Curtis did, however, lead the team in times caught stealing (11) and times implanting batting helmets into the on-deck circle after striking out.

During his first two seasons, Curtis accomplished more with less than any Angel since Brian Downing. Then, his stubbornness and blind belief in self were traits the Angels admired. But that was before the big contract.

At $1.9 million, Curtis became “hard-headed,” “uncoachable” and “selfish.”

At $1.9 million, a reluctant leadoff hitter still prone to rookie mistakes on the bases and in the outfield became a luxury the Angels couldn’t afford.

So Thursday Curtis became a Detroit Tiger and Phillips became the Angels’ leadoff hitter--for the moment. This year, the Angels will pay Phillips $2 million. After that, Phillips becomes a free agent and, if things go well, the Angels will shake his hand, thank him for making them a .500 team and wish him luck at his next stop.

By 1996, Marquis Riley, the latest Next Devon White to come off the line, should be ready to join Salmon and Edmonds in a most cost-efficient Angel outfield.

In the interim, Phillips should help. He’ll play left, enabling Edmonds to move to center, where the sea won’t be quite as choppy this summer. He’ll get on base often enough to give Salmon and Chili Davis cracks at 100 RBIs. He’ll be disaster insurance for Eduardo Perez at third and J.T. Snow at first, ready to move in at the first implosion.

He isn’t Kenny Lofton and he isn’t Mickey Tettleton--another ex-Tiger the Angels should have pursued--but he ought to make the Angels a better team.

Twenty-four hours after the Angels’ trade, that’s more than anyone has reason to expect.