Angels Catch a Thief

The Angels prepared for the possibility of a future without leadoff batter Tony Phillips by acquiring outfielder Rickey Henderson from the San Diego Padres on Wednesday for two minor leaguers and a player to be named, believed to be triple-A third baseman George Arias.

Phillips, arrested Sunday and charged with felony possession of cocaine, is scheduled to meet with doctors representing major-league baseball and the players’ association Friday morning in New York.

Though Manager Terry Collins said he “hopes to have Phillips back in the lineup” for Friday night’s game at Milwaukee, doctors could recommend Phillips go into a drug-counseling program, which probably would require a two- to four-week stay on the disabled list.

If Phillips, who is expected to say he does not have a drug problem and should not be sidelined, refuses to undergo counseling, he could rejoin the team and fight the charges through legal channels.

If he is eventually convicted, he would be subject to a suspension, but with an arraignment date of Sept. 18, the legal process probably would run well past the 1997 season.

Asked if Phillips’ status had any bearing on Wednesday’s trade, General Manager Bill Bavasi said, “It does, and it doesn’t. . . . We had been trying to acquire another hitter since the Ken Hill deal, but I’d be lying to say [the Phillips situation] didn’t speed this up a bit.”

Henderson, 38, s considered one of baseball’s premier leadoff batters. He provides insurance against the potential loss of Phillips and temporary relief for the loss of outfielder Jim Edmonds, who is on the disabled list because of a lower-back strain. He’ll also be used as a designated hitter.

The 18-year veteran, who helped Oakland (1989) and Toronto (1993) to win World Series championships, is baseball’s all-time stolen-base leader with 1,215 and is also a power threat--he hit .274 with six homers, 27 RBIs and 29 stolen bases in 88 games for the Padres this season.

Henderson, who took a late flight to the Midwest on Wednesday and is expected to start in left field for the Angels against Milwaukee today, hit .400 with two homers and five runs batted in during the 1989 American League Championship Series and .474 in the 1989 World Series.

“He’s a seasoned veteran who knows what it takes to win,” said Angel first base coach Dave Parker, a 1989 teammate of Henderson’s at Oakland. “Rickey seems to come to the forefront in big games--he really put on a show in the 1989 postseason, and he was a hired gun in Toronto. When the stage is set, he rises to the occasion.”

Henderson, a 10-time all-star whose teams have won six division championships and three pennants in addition to the World Series titles, was traded from Oakland to Toronto on July 31, 1993. He hit .215 for the remainder of that season but starred in the postseason.

“To me, I don’t think it’s difficult [joining a team this late in the season],” Henderson said. “It’s a challenge, and it’s fun. I want to be in that situation.”

The Angels, who sent triple-A pitcher Ryan Hancock and Class-A pitcher Stevenson Agosto to San Diego, will pay a portion of Henderson’s 1997 contract, which includes a $2-million base salary and $1.5 million in plate-appearance incentives. Henderson will be a free agent after the season.

“It’s a trade for the present,” Bavasi said. “We’re in a pennant race and we think we have a real good chance of winning. I’m not looking at anything beyond today. If I’m thinking about next year, it’s not going to do us any good right now.”

If Phillips returns, Collins will have two leadoff batters to choose between, and he said he has lineups prepared for several scenarios. Interestingly, Phillips patterns his stance after Henderson’s exaggerated crouch.

“I could [bat] either of them first or second,” Collins said. “We’re looking at Rickey as an addition to the team, and I believe he’ll do a lot of the things Tony does--namely, every time you look up he’s on base.”

Henderson, who has a .287 career batting average and a .407 career on-base percentage, shared left field with Greg Vaughn in San Diego, and the Padres came close to trading him to the Angels in March.

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Leading Men

A comparison of Tony Phillips and Rickey Henderson:

CAREER

Phillips:

Age: 38

Batting Avg.: .267

OB%: .383

Home Runs: 140

Runs Scored: 1,171

RBIs: 739

Stolen Bases: 164

*

Henderson:

Age: 38

Batting Avg.: .287

OB%: .416

Home Runs: 250

Runs Scored: 1,892

RBIs: 914

Stolen Bases: 1,215

1997

Phillips:

At-Bats: 420

Batting Avg.: .279

OB%: .390

Home Runs: 7

Runs Scored: 77

RBIs: 47

Stolen Bases: 12

*

Henderson:

At-Bats: 228

Batting Avg.: .274

OB%: .422

Home Runs: 6

Runs Scored: 63

RBIs: 27

Stolen Bases: 29

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Rickey Henderson at a Glance (Southland Edition C7)

* Born: Dec. 25, 1958, Chicago.

* Resides: Phoenix.

* Personal: He and wife Pam have three daughters, Angela, Alexis and Adriann . . . Wears No. 24 in honor of Willie Mays . . . Co-authored “Off Base: Confessions of a Thief” after 1991 season.

* Career notes: Entered 1997 season with 1,186 stolen bases, most in major league history . . . Holds all-time mark for stolen bases in a season (130 in 1982) . . . Has 12 50-steal seasons, tied with Lou Brock for most in big league history.

HENDERSON’S STATISTICS

*--*

AB R H HR RBI SB Avg AL 8,063 1,719 2,338 235 858 1,149 .290 NL 753 173 191 15 56 66 .254 1997 288 63 79 6 27 29 .274 Career 8,816 1,892 2,529 250 914 1,215 .287

*--*