Angels’ Plan B Brings Belcher

Shut out in their attempt to trade for a pitcher at the winter meetings, the Angels snapped up the best of what was left on the free-agent market Friday, signing Tim Belcher to a two-year, $10.2-million contract with an option for 2001.

The 37-year-old right-hander, who went 14-14 with a 4.27 earned-run average for Kansas City last season, is not the dominant force the Angels sought when they entered the bidding for free agents Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson and Toronto Blue Jay ace Roger Clemens.

But in Belcher, who went 3-0 in the 1988 postseason to help the Dodgers win the World Series, the Angels have a reliable starter who will significantly bolster a rotation that dropped off considerably after Chuck Finley and Ken Hill.

“This is the most durable guy out there, but he’s also a good pitcher,” Angel General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “We try to be real careful about the guys we go after, and when you can get a quality guy with a quality arm, that’s important to us.”

Belcher is one of only four major league pitchers to have thrown at least 200 innings a year from 1991 to 1998, not including strike-shortened 1994 and ’95. The others are Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Scott Erickson.

While the Angels have been saddled with many sore-armed pitchers this decade, Belcher, who has a 136-127 career record and 3.97 ERA in 11 seasons, has not been on the disabled list in the last eight years.

“I attribute a lot of that to good fortune,” Belcher said, “but it also takes a lot of hard work, good body type and a strong arm.”

Belcher is not the power pitcher he was in his early years--the closest he has come to his 200-strikeout season in 1989 was 156 strikeouts in 1991, and he had only 130 strikeouts in 234 innings last season.

But he has honed his craft well in recent years, going 42-37 with a 4.38 ERA and 57 quality starts, games in which he gave up three earned runs or less in six or more innings, for the sub-.500 Royals the past three years.

“I still pitch predominantly with my fastball, but I’m not looking for strikeouts,” Belcher said. “I try to move my pitches in and out, up and down, and cut the ball. I’m looking for weak contact as early in the count as possible. That’s what keeps you out there longer.”

Belcher, who chose the Angels over the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, will make $4.6 million in 1999 and 2000, and the Angels hold a $5.1-million option for 2001, which they can buy out for $1 million.

The signing virtually assures the Angel payroll will surpass $50 million next season--the team has already committed $48 million in base salary to 17 signed players.

It also provides Bavasi a measure of relief--Belcher may not be the cure-all for Angel pitching woes, but he will add depth to the rotation--and gives him more leverage in future trade talks involving outfielders Jim Edmonds and Garret Anderson, a luxury he did not enjoy at the recent winter meetings.

“I really got a bad feel at the meetings for the way people were looking at our club,” Bavasi said. “Teams thought we had to move an outfielder, but I didn’t want to be in a position where they could steal some of our gold for their brass.

“That’s why it was real important to add a pitcher without giving up any personnel. Now, I would think most clubs will realize that we don’t have to move an outfielder, so if they want one of those [outfielders], they will have to give up some quality.”

The Angels also announced Friday that they did not tender contracts to utility player Norberto Martin, who hit .215 last season, and pitcher Allen Watson, who went 6-7 with a 4.04 ERA and was recently designated for assignment.

In addition, the Angels sent Class-A catcher Matt Garrick to St. Louis to complete the recent trade for pitcher Mark Petkovsek. With Martin’s loss, the Angels will search for another reserve middle infielder, and Bavasi is always on the lookout for more pitching--another starter and a left-handed reliever.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Tim Belcher at a Glance

* Born: Oct. 19, 1961

* Vital Statistics: 6-3, 225 pounds . . . right-handed.

* Transactions: Selected by Minnesota Twins in first round (first pick overall) of free-agent draft on June 6, 1983; did not sign. . . . Selected by New York Yankees in first round (secondary phase) of free-agent draft Jan. 17, 1984; did not sign. . . . Selected by Oakland Athletics in player compensation pool draft Feb. 8, 1984. . . . Has appeared with six major league teams: Dodgers (1987-91), Cincinnati (1992-93), Chicago White Sox (1993), Detroit (1994), Seattle (1995) and Kansas City (1996-98).

* Honors: Named right-handed pitcher on The Sporting News college All-America team (1983). . . . Named NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News.

THE STATISTICS

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W-L G IP R BB SO ERA 1998 14-14 34 234 127 73 130 4.27 AVG/YR 11.3-10.6 30.1 189 93.2 66 120.4 3.97

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