Lamb Ended Spring Like Lion

Mike Lamb had one last swing with the Texas Rangers this spring, and hopes he made a lasting impression.

He ripped a double off St. Louis pitcher Jesse Orosco in the Rangers’ next-to-last exhibition game. He flew with the team to Houston to watch the last exhibition game.

Then he was off to triple-A Oklahoma.

“I don’t know how close I was to making the team, but I got the feeling I was going to triple-A this year,” said Lamb, who played at Cal State Fullerton. “Maybe later this season I will get another shot at it. Or maybe next spring.”

There is little doubt in his mind that the time will come.

Lamb, 24, is rated the 71st-best prospect in the minor leagues by Baseball America. He earned that ranking with double-A Tulsa last season.

He finished among the top five in the minor leagues in hits (177), doubles (51), extra-base hits (77) and total bases (301). He hit .324 with 21 home runs and 100 runs batted in.

Those numbers got him noticed. He is on the Rangers’ 40-man roster and got a good look in camp this spring.

“On one hand, it’s better to have the experience of being with the major league team in spring,” Lamb said. “But it’s also worse because you get spoiled.

“When you travel, they use charters and they drive the bus right onto the runway. You don’t have to go through the airport. Still, in the minors, you have fewer distractions. Like they don’t let reporters in the clubhouse after games.”

To ask about errors?

The Rangers seem satisfied with Lamb’s abilities at the plate. He hit .288 with a home run and four RBIs during spring training.

But Lamb, who was a catcher at Fullerton, is still adjusting to being converted back to third base, the position he played at La Puente Bishop Amat High. Scouts have questioned his limited range and some have compared him to Todd Zeile, who was planted--literally--at third base most of his career after starting out as a catcher.

Lamb made five errors during spring training. The Rangers decided to go with Tom Evans, who was claimed off waivers from Toronto before the 1999 season.

The concerns were real. Lamb made three errors in last Monday’s game against Albuquerque. Not that he suffered alone. The RedHawks had a team effort--seven errors and 16 walks, a passed ball and a wild pitch in the 11-4 loss.

“That was a bad night for everybody,” Lamb said.

Still, it gnawed at a guy trying to prove to the Rangers that he is ready. Lamb had seven errors in the first 12 games this season.

“I’m still learning to react properly,” Lamb said. “You have to rely so much on your first instinct. Whether to break one way or the other, whether to charge the ball or wait for it. You don’t have much time.”

Lamb is still biding his.

He has shown improvement since being moved from behind the plate after the Rangers made him a seventh-round pick in 1997. He led Florida State League third basemen in fielding percentage (.931) while at Class-A Charlotte in 1998.

He had a .930 fielding percentage with Tulsa last season.

“It was probably tougher learning to be a catcher than going back to third base,” Lamb said. “I was hoping for the position change when I was drafted.

“It’s probably better that I get a chance to play every day here than sit on the bench with the Rangers. I still need to improve, but eventually I’m going to get there.”

JUST ANOTHER GAME

When the Philadelphia Phillies come to town, outfielder Eric Valent will treat it like any other game. Really.

The Phillies play Reading, their double-A affiliate, in an exhibition game May 8. But while it will be a chance to show off for the big club, Valent sees no reason to get overly excited.

“This is only an exhibition game,” said Valent, who played at Canyon High and UCLA. “It doesn’t count on my stats. They have seen enough of me, so they know what I can do.”

The Phillies thought enough of Valent to make him a first-round supplemental pick in 1997. He is now rated as the organization’s fifth-best prospect by Baseball America.

“I’m sure there are expectations because of where I was drafted,” Valent said. “I’m not going to give myself any added pressure.”

Valent hit .288 with 20 home runs and led the Florida State League with 106 RBIs while at Class-A Clearwater last season. He also struck out 110 times in 520 at-bats.

He went to the Arizona Instructional League, where he worked on hitting the ball to the opposite field.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is you have to be ready to play every day,” Valent said. “There are not a lot of days off. You have to realize you will go through slumps when you get 500 at-bats a season.”

DEEP FREEZE

A cold front that swept across the East Coast two weeks ago led the Erie Seawolves--the Angels’ double-A affiliate--to guarantee fans 60-degree weather for their home opener on April 10. The payoff? A free bleacher seat for their April 24 game.

They would have been better to offer blankets. The temperature barely topped 40 degrees.

The team handed out 500 free tickets to those brave enough to come to the game. They were further rewarded by Erie getting only two hits in a 5-0 loss to Altoona.