Baughman Ready to Show He’s Worthy

The Angels didn’t exactly place a welcome mat in front of Justin Baughman’s locker this winter. They bumped him off their 40-man roster, designated him for assignment and turned competition for the second-base job he held in 1998 into an all-comers meet this spring.

Baughman monitored the transaction wire during the off-season, saw the Angels sign the likes of Scott Spiezio, Pat Kelly, Jason Bates, Carlos Garcia, Benji Gil and Archi Cianfrocco, and kept thinking: Hey, what about me?

Baughman delivered the equivalent of a forget-me-not card in January, when he showed Angel coaches and front-office executives he had regained his speed after missing the 1999 season because of a broken leg, and he has come to camp fully intending to win back his old job.

“I went to Cal State Fullerton for a week [of workouts] to prove to everyone I was OK,” said Baughman, who broke his lower left leg in five places in a Mexican Winter League collision in November 1998. “They didn’t believe me. They wanted to see for themselves.”

Baughman was timed to first base in four seconds flat, which was his top time before the injury. He ran a 6.7-second 60-yard dash, which was slightly off his best 6.5-second mark.

“I’m hoping this changes things,” Baughman, 25, said. “My goal was to say to them, ‘Don’t count me out.’ ”

If Baughman, who has joined pitchers and catchers for early workouts this weekend, can return to his 1998 form, when he hit .255 with 20 runs batted in in 63 games, he could provide something the Angels have lacked since Tony Phillips in 1997--a prototypal leadoff batter.

Manager Mike Scioscia also could keep Darin Erstad in the leadoff spot and bat Baughman second. Either option would allow him to move Jim Edmonds from the second to fifth spot for more of an RBI role.

“Justin was so upbeat [in January], you could see it in his eyes and the way he talked that he was pretty confident in his physical well-being, and he showed it,” Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman said.

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Todd Greene is not in an all-systems-go mode, but he has been cleared to participate in spring drills and is more hopeful than he was the previous two springs that he can resume his catching career.

Greene, who caught only 10 games in 1999 and none in 1998, did not undergo shoulder surgery this off-season for the first time in three winters, and that enabled him to lift weights and strengthen his upper body more thoroughly.

His long-toss and arm-strengthening program will be monitored closely this week, and Scioscia said the Angels will make sure his shoulder is sound before putting him behind the plate in a Cactus League game. If Greene’s shoulder holds up, he likely would have the edge over Bengie Molina and Matt Walbeck for the starting job.

“I’m going to take it slow, it’s the only smart thing to do,” Greene said. “They’re not expecting anything, and that’s good for me, because if something happens [to my shoulder], no one will be disappointed.”