Fabregas Handles the Job

Jorge Fabregas heard the talk.

The Angels were negotiating with former Cincinnati Red and Milwaukee Brewer catcher Joe Oliver in January.

Fabregas also heard the thump of Todd Greene’s bat.

The Angels saw Greene as the future.

Yet opening day has come and passed. No Oliver. No Greene. Still, Fabregas was hardly flabbergasted to be the Angels’ catcher.

“I didn’t pay attention to any of it,” Fabregas said. “I know I can play this game and I know I can help this team.”

That has happened already.

Fabregas, who hit .306 in spring training, drove in the Angels’ first runs the past three games, including one on a sacrifice fly Saturday in an 8-4 loss to the White Sox.

But it’s not hitting that landed him the job. It’s how he has improved behind the plate.

“He’s more focused on what he does for us [pitchers],” Mark Langston said.

That, Fabregas admits, was a weakness last season that he worked to correct.

On Friday, Dennis Springer was brought in to pitch and Fabregas spent the fifth inning trying to handle his knuckleball. After the inning, Fabregas sought out Springer in the dugout to talk.

“That is something I probably wouldn’t have done last year,” Fabregas said. “I would have been think about my hitting. But I wanted to talk to Dennis about the pitch, so I knew what to expect.

“I’m proud of how I’ve improved defensively.”

Said Langston: “When you come up through the minors, you are either known as a offensive player or a defensive player. Jorge was known more for his offense.”

Fabregas, who hit .331 during his career at the University of Miami, had to change that to survive. He spent most of last season with the Angels, but didn’t seem to be in the team’s long-term plans.

The Angels have been through plenty of catchers since Bob Boone left after the 1988 season. Young ones, such as John Orton, and old ones, such as Lance Parrish. There was reason to believe Fabregas was just another transient.

Greene, a converted outfielder, is clearly being groomed for the job. He hit 40 home runs splitting time with Midland and Vancouver last season. But as a catcher, Greene was not ready. He led the California League errors (15) and passed balls (44) in 1994--his first year as a catcher.

The Angels courted outside help during the off-season and attempted to sign the veteran Oliver. But negotiations ended with the two sides reportedly about $500,000 apart.

Meanwhile, Fabregas was working, improving and paying little attention.

“Jorge has reached the point where he knows how to handle pitchers,” Langston said.

Which has been the hardest part about the job.

“You have 10 guys with different personalities and abilities,” said Fabregas, who was a third baseman in college. “You have to know their strengths and their weaknesses. You have to be on the same page as the guy whose pitching at the time.

“I feel very comfortable right now. I feel like it’s my pitching staff and I can take it from here.”