Fielder Heading for Home

The Angels, who have been shopping for a designated hitter since the season ended, on Friday agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Cecil Fielder. It is a bargain that could turn into a steal.

Fielder, 34, has hit 271 home runs since 1990, the third most in baseball behind Barry Bonds (290) and Ken Griffey Jr. (278). Yet the Angels landed him for considerably less than the $9.23 million he made with the New York Yankees last season.

A baseball source said his base salary is about $2.8 million, plus incentives, similar to the deal the Minnesota Twins had offered.

Fielder’s worth dropped after a subpar season. He was on the disabled list for the first time in his career from July 16 until Sept. 15 after suffering a torn thumb ligament sliding into home. He hit .260 with 13 home runs and 61 runs batted in, well below his numbers the past seven seasons.

“This is something I expected after being hurt and having a dismal first half,” Fielder said of his cut in pay.

“Taking the wide view, instead of the focused view, my family has definitely sacrificed for me, and now it was time for them to have a say so. Everybody in my house was given the opportunity to pick and choose. They all said Anaheim.”

Fielder grew up in Southern California and attended Nogales High School in La Puente. Most of his family still live in the area. It was reason enough, Fielder said, to turn down the Twins’ offer, even though they wanted him as an everyday first baseman, which he would prefer.

“I keep telling my son that I was a pretty good basketball player,” the hefty Fielder said. “Maybe he can go see my former coach and he can explain how good I was.

“The driving force can’t always be money.”

It usually is for Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi, who is working under strict financial guidelines from Disney, which owns controlling interest in the team.

The Angels talked with Paul Molitor and Joe Carter, but could not compete in a bidding war. Molitor signed with the Minnesota Twins for $4.15 million and Carter with the Baltimore Orioles for $3.3 million.

Fielder offers the Angels much more for less. He gives the Angels more power. His personality and leadership should blend well with the young players on the team. And he can play first base without being a defensive liability; Darin Erstad, the Angels’ first baseman and a converted outfielder, is coming off elbow surgery.

With Tony Phillips out of the picture, it also fills the Angels’ need for a leadoff batter. Fielder will bat in the middle of the order, and Erstad will bat leadoff, which he did at the start of last season.

“We had been looking to add one more offensive weapon to the club,” Bavasi said. “We looked at a lot of different people. At this point, we thought Cecil Fielder was the best for us.

“The designated hitter is a tough one to fill. It takes special patience and discipline. I’d rather have a veteran to handle that role. But Cecil does not want to be pigeonholed into the DH role. I would feel comfortable with him playing every day if we have to do it.”

Manager Terry Collins also can mix and match his lineup, giving Erstad and outfielders Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds and Garret Anderson an occasional day off.

“If everything goes right, I’ll get to play a little first base,” Fielder said. “You always prefer to be involved in the game, go out on the field and smell the grass.”

Fielder has been one of the top power hitters after reviving his career with one season in Japan. He returned and hit 51 home runs for the Detroit Tigers in 1990.

Fielder went to New York in a midseason deal in 1996 and helped the Yankees win the World Series. He hit .391 with two home runs and eight RBIs against the Atlanta Braves.

But things did not go well last season. The Yankees shopped him around in the winter--including offering him to the Angels. Fielder then demanded to be traded in spring training. He injured his thumb July 15, sliding into home plate against the Cleveland Indians.

Fielder, who underwent surgery on the thumb in July, said he is healthy. He hit .314 during the final two weeks of the season. The Angels will have him undergo a physical.

“This isn’t about individual goals,” Fielder said. “I have done about all I could have accomplished. This is a great opportunity to be able to get in the middle of the lineup and do some damage.”

Staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this story.

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Designated Improvement?

How Cecil Fielder’s stats compare to those of Angels ‘ designated hitters in 1990s:

CECIL FIELDER

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Year, Team HR RBI AVG 1990, Detroit 51 132 .277 1991, Detroit 44 133 .261 1992, Detroit 35 124 .244 1993, Detroit 30 117 .267 1994, Detroit 28 90 .259 1995, Detroit 31 82 .243 1996, Detroit-NYY 39 117 .252 1997, NY Yankees 13 61 .260

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ANGELS

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Year HR RBI AVG 1990 21 87 .285 1991 17 73 .236 1992 11 62 .247 1993 27 119 .245 1994 26 84 .309 1995 22 99 .302 1996 30 106 .278 1997 15 62 .237

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