Power Game

With a .300 career average over five seasons, Garret Anderson has clearly established himself as a steady and productive big league hitter.

But when the Angel outfielder, whose bat has been known more for its pep than its pop, hit a career-high 21 home runs last season, it opened Anderson’s eyes to a new world of opportunities.

“I don’t know what my ceiling is, but I’m going to keep pushing to find out,” Anderson said. “I knew I could hit 20 home runs, but by no means am I content with those numbers. Now I want to hit 25 or 30 homers and try to hit .320.”

When Anderson burst onto the big league scene with a .321, 16-homer, 69-RBI rookie season in strike-shortened 1995, most figured 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons were well within his reach.

But opponents began feeding him a steady diet of off-speed and breaking pitches away. Anderson’s average with runners in scoring position declined, and he managed only 12 homers and 72 RBIs in 1996 and eight homers and 92 RBIs in 1997.

Then it was Anderson’s turn to make adjustments--he began laying off more outside pitches and turning on inside pitches, and his power numbers increased to 15 home runs in 1998 and 21 in ’99.

“When you’re a rookie you get a lot of fastballs, and I can hit a fastball,” said Anderson, who is entering the final year of a four-year contract. “Look at a player’s second year and you’ll have a better idea of the kind of hitter he’ll be.”

Though only three of his home runs last season came against left-handers, Anderson hit .280 against lefties, and he credited former first-base coach George Hendrick and teammate Mo Vaughn for an improved approach.

“They talked about hitting lefties with authority, not just trying to get hits off them,” Anderson said. “Mo loves to talk about hitting, and I’m like a sponge. He showed me some things, and I hit some homers against lefties.

“They usually try to pitch you away, but you have to force them to throw inside. You have to lay off certain pitches, be more patient, and you have to be ready to hit the fastball when they throw it.”

As for his RBI totals, those figures will go up if Anderson can improve on his average with runners in scoring position, which was .256 last season, and if the players in the heart of the Angel order--Vaughn, Tim Salmon and Jim Edmonds--remain healthy ahead of him.

“That’s something you can’t always control,” Anderson said. “If they’re not out there, you can’t drive ‘em in. Having people around you play every day . . . that’s when you get comfortable, and when good hitters feed off each other.”

Anderson plans to work on more than his power numbers this season. He’d like to steal more bases--his career high was 10 in 1997--and Manager Mike Scioscia has already told him he’ll have the green light to go when he wants, something former manager Terry Collins never gave him.

Anderson is not a burner on the basepaths. Though he moves fairly well once he gets the long strides of his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame in motion, he doesn’t have much burst out of the blocks.

“I’m not going to steal 50 bases, but you usually get more out of a player when you give him freedom to do things,” Anderson said. “I can pick my spots. There will be some pitchers who don’t pay attention.”

Some outfielders too. Anderson has an almost methodical approach to the game, a very low-key demeanor that has allowed him to remain level-headed during hot streaks and avoid the emotional lows of prolonged slumps, but he has also been criticized for being too passive on offense and defense.

He could eliminate that reputation with more plays like the one he made recently, when he lined a shot past diving Oakland second baseman Randy Velarde in a Cactus League game and turned an apparent single into a double with some aggressive and daring running.

“They weren’t quick to the ball, so I took the base,” Anderson said. “I know what it feels like when you’re trying to catch the ball and the guy is running hard around first. That puts some pressure on the outfielder.”

A National League scout who follows the Angels recently said he noticed a distinct improvement in Anderson’s effort and aggressiveness last season, and it may have taken an embarrassing moment to enlighten the 27-year-old.

It was August 1998, and the Angels were in Camden Yards when Anderson jogged to first on a fourth-inning comebacker. The pitcher’s throw was high, pulling the Oriole first baseman off the bag, but the infielder had enough time to catch the ball, land and touch the bag before Anderson got there.

Had Anderson been sprinting he would have probably beaten the throw, and to let him know how upset he was, Collins yanked him from the game immediately.

Collins praised Anderson throughout 1999 for his hustle, and other teams began to take notice as well. Anderson’s name began coming up more in trade rumors this winter after several quiet winters during which teams seemed to lose interest.

“If this was three or four years ago, [the trade rumors] would be a problem, but I can handle that part of the game and play at a high level,” Anderson said. “If you don’t do the job, you won’t be playing anywhere anyway. No one owes you anything. You have to play hard and earn it.”