Angels’ Salmon is Lachemann’s MVP Candidate

For once somebody managed to catch Angel right fielder Tim Salmon off guard.

Not a pitcher trying to sneak a ball past him, mind you. And certainly, not a hard-hit line drive. He’s usually on top of such matters.

A reporter lobbed an innocent question his way Saturday night and Salmon got flustered, unsure of what to say or how to react.

Someone asked Salmon what he thought of Manager Marcel Lachemann’s statement that the right fielder gets his vote as the American League’s most valuable player this season.

“Oh, man,” Salmon said, reeling like an overmatched fighter facing Mike Tyson. “Don’t even think that stuff yet. I don’t even know how to respond to that. That’s the farthest thing from my mind.”

Others, particularly Lachemann, have taken notice. And the votes that do count will be cast soon enough. It’s a pretty good bet that many will have Salmon’s name on them.

“I’d be a little prejudiced, obviously,” Lachemann said when asked if he would vote for Salmon as MVP if he could. “You can’t do much more than he does. He plays every day. He drives in runs. He plays good defense. You can’t ask for more.”

Saturday, Salmon also helped the Angels defeat the Minnesota Twins. His two-run homer, a 440-foot blast into the bleachers beyond the left-field fence off Twin reliever Pat Mahomes in the seventh inning, lifted the Angels to a 6-5 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

It was his club-leading 33rd homer this season. He’s batting .335, tops on the team, and has 93 runs batted in, second only to teammate Jim Edmonds’ 97. He ranks among the leaders in the American League in all three categories, and with a little--OK, a lot--of luck he could be in the running for the triple crown.

If nothing else, Salmon’s continued excellence during the Angels’ wretched slide has shown how valuable he truly is.

Despite losing 17 of 23 games, Salmon has managed to boost his average. He went into Saturday’s game with a .336 average and trailed Edgar Martinez of Seattle, the AL leader, by 26 points.

“He’s the kind of guy who can get hot and carry a club,” Lachemann said. “He’s been consistent through this whole thing. He’s a very, very, very good player.”

Press Salmon about that sort of stuff and he launches into his “aw- shucks” routine. He did say he hoped two straight victories over the Twins would boost the Angels’ confidence.

“Hopefully, we’ll build off each win,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll continue to gain some momentum. We’re looking for anything to get us going again. [But] we’re not quite clicking yet.”