Vaughn Is Still Not in the Swing of Things

Mo Vaughn had a message for those who might be concerned that he has not hit a home run in his first 17 exhibition games and 50 at-bats as an Angel.

“Tell everyone not to be alarmed,” said Vaughn, who went hitless in two at-bats in Saturday’s 4-2 exhibition loss to the Seattle Mariners in Tempe Diablo Stadium. “I’m adifferent person once the season starts, when things get going for real.”

He is hitting .240 with three doubles and 10 runs batted in, and the Angels have been impressed with his defense and his ability to drive in runs with two outs, but the closest he has come to a home run is a ball off the wall.

“I hit 10 homers one spring and I’ve had springs where I’ve hit one or two homers, so I’ve learned not to put too much weight on it,” Vaughn said. “My biggest thing is to be swinging at good pitches, and I think I’m doing pretty well with that.”

Still, Vaughn--who has averaged 39 home runs the past four years--knows the Angels aren’t paying him $80 million over six years to merely swing at good pitches. Several of those pitches need to land in the outfield seats.

“How many games left?” Vaughn asked a reporter.

Told there were four games in Arizona and three more exhibitions in Anaheim next weekend, Vaughn grinned and said: “I’ll hit one before we get the regular season started. Guaranteed.”

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If Troy Glaus opens the season at shortstop, and if catcher Matt Walbeck recovers from his hand injury in time to start the season--both very real possibilities--the final roster spot will come down to either Phil Nevin or Chris Pritchett.

Angel Manager Terry Collins will carry one utility middle infielder, likely Jeff Huson, and he has already said reserve outfielder Orlando Palmeiro will make the team.

Nevin, a right-handed hitter, can play outfield, third, first and catcher. But with Garret Anderson, Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds, Darin Erstad and Palmeiro, Nevin won’t be needed in the outfield.

With Walbeck, Todd Greene and Charlie O’Brien catching and Erstad and Hollins available to back up Vaughn at first, it will be difficult for Nevin, who is batting .378 this spring, to play those positions.

Pritchett, who is hitting .276, plays only first base, but he bats left-handed. Since the players Collins would most likely pinch-hit for--O’Brien and eventually shortstop Gary DiSarcina--are right-handed, this improves Pritchett’s chances.

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Tim Belcher gave up three runs and five hits, including Butch Huskey’s two-run homer, in a six-inning, 98-pitch effort Saturday.

While the rest of the team breaks camp after Wednesday’s game, Belcher will remain in Arizona to pitch in a minor league game Thursday, keeping him on schedule to start opening night against the Cleveland Indians in Edison Field on April 6.

Chuck Finley was supposed to start the opener but was hindered by upper back spasms this spring. This will be Belcher’s third start in a season opener--he replaced Orel Hershiser (appendicitis) to open 1989 for the Dodgers and Kevin Appier (shoulder injury) to open 1998 with the Kansas City Royals.

“This is just like the other two, I’m the opening-day starter by default,” Belcher said. “There’s no question in anyone’s mind that Chuck is the No. 1 guy here. He’s the most established Angel.”

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Greene, coming back from a sore shoulder, caught five innings but did not throw to a base. In 15 spring innings behind the plate, Greene has made only one throw to first and one to second.

But Collins wasn’t disappointed that he hasn’t had much to judge Greene on. “Any time you’re coming off arm surgery, the last thing you want to do is throw it out,” Collins said. “He has to build up his arm strength.”

Greene is hoping to catch two or three games a week, and Collins said he’ll only work games when Finley, the left-hander, and Belcher and Omar Olivares, who hold runners on well, pitch.

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Erstad was scratched from the lineup because of a bruised right heel he suffered Friday. “It was pretty tender when I tried to run [Saturday], and there’s no reason to push it,” Erstad said.