Angels’ Pitch to Abbott: Take Triple-A Assignment

Jim Abbott left the Angels’ spring-training camp and returned home to Orange County on Sunday, the struggling pitcher’s baseball career virtually hanging by a thread.

The Angels have asked Abbott to go to the minor leagues, and the left-hander can either accept the assignment, refuse it, or elect to become a free agent, forgoing a guaranteed contract that will pay him $5.6 million the next two years.

But if Abbott, who went 2-18 with a 7.48 earned-run average last season, refuses to go to triple-A Vancouver, the Angels will likely release him and eat the final two years of his three-year, $7.8-million deal.

Abbott, an eight-year veteran who is one of the most popular players in Angel history, is also believed to be pondering retirement, a choice that would likely include a negotiated agreement for the Angels to buy out the remainder of his contract.

“If he wants to go to Vancouver, that option is there, but he has to feel comfortable doing that,” Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann said. “I want what’s best for Jim.”

There was no trace of Abbott Sunday afternoon--his Tempe Diablo Stadium locker had been cleaned out, his name plate removed.

General Manager Bill Bavasi declined to discuss Abbott’s status, other than to issue a release in which he said: “By mutual agreement, pitcher Jim Abbott has left spring training for a short period of time while he and the Angels evaluate his current situation on the ballclub.”

Manager Terry Collins spoke about Abbott in general terms but declined to discuss specifics. “In consideration to Jim, I want to leave it for a couple of days,” he said. “When he’s made his decision, we’ll deal with it.”

Abbott, an inspirational pitcher who reached the major leagues despite being born without a right hand, suffered through one of the worst seasons in recent baseball history in 1996, losing a league-high 18 games, giving up 23 home runs and walking 78 in 142 innings.

He lost velocity on his fastball and had trouble controlling his breaking pitches, and on Aug. 14, with a 1-15 record, he was optioned to Vancouver, marking Abbott’s first-ever minor-league stint.

But Abbott, 29, handled failure with remarkable class, remaining at his locker to field questions after every loss and never snapping at reporters. He was recalled in September and won his next start, an emotional, 4-2 victory at Minnesota on Sept. 8, in which the Angels turned a triple play. But since the July 31, 1995 trade that brought him back to the Angels from the Chicago White Sox, Abbott failed to win a game in Anaheim Stadium.

Abbott, a 1988 first-round pick of the Angels who has an 80-100 career record and 4.11 ERA, was determined to rebound in 1997. He spent the winter lifting weights and working out with Lachemann, and his fastball had a lot more zip this spring.

He appeared to make progress early in spring, but Abbott stumbled in his last two appearances. He has a 13.50 earned-run average with 15 walks and seven strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.