Some Advice Angels Can Bat Around

Now that the Angels have capitulated in the wild-card race, unable even to generate a winning streak against the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins in a last chance to sustain their distant playoff hopes, one thing is certain: The off-season should provide the clearest picture yet into what Disney and General Manager Bill Stoneman are all about.

Do they again take the economically conservative route, assuming that the bats of Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon will rebound and banking on the return of Mo Vaughn to resolve the offensive inconsistency of this year?

Do they simply elevate Matt Wise or another farm product to augment a rotation that has shown promise at times but lacks a proven veteran in the No. 1 role and continues to experience too many growing pains?

Do they continue to stick with a nucleus that has yet to win, that has been far outdistanced in the last two years by the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics, and is certain to find the Texas Rangers returning to the chase next year, unwilling to let that $252-million investment in Alex Rodriguez go to waste?

The Angels, of course, aren’t going to talk about next season with 22 games left to play this season. However, the opinion here is that Disney needs to send a message to their players and fans, that Burbank needs to respond to the Anaheim apathy with an aggressive move seen only in the pre-emptive signing of Vaughn, and that a potential panacea had been sitting in the visitor’s dugout at Edison Field, swinging a bat in the middle of the Kansas City lineup, wearing that Royal blue but yearning to play in periwinkle.

Well, Mike Sweeney, the Kansas City first baseman and designated hitter, doesn’t openly advertise a desire to play for the hometown Angels, but he doesn’t hide his feelings when asked. After all, Sweeney’s dad, Big Mike, once played in the Angel farm system, spent 25 years working for a beer distributorship and making deliveries to the Anaheim stadium and is a conspicuous figure, with the rest of his family, every time the Royals are in town.

“I’d love it,” Sweeney said. “It would be great to play in front of my family and in the same stadium as No. 5, Brian Downing. He was my hero growing up and I’ve always tried to attack the game the way he did. The hard thing about baseball and playing in Kansas City is that I’ve missed four of my siblings’ high school graduations and a brother’s wedding. Coming home would be great for a lot of reasons.”

Sweeney, 27, was born in Orange, graduated from Ontario High and drafted in the 10th round by the Royals in 1991. He could even have that No. 5 if he came to the Angels because Downing, still bitter over the way the club released him, has refused to let the Angels retire it or hold a night in his honor.

Of course, Sweeney already has a number (29), not to mention a contract paying him $5 million this year and $8 million next year. The Royals have talked about an extension, but who can be sure? Sweeney--who drove in a whopping 144 runs while batting .333 with 29 homers last year and has driven in 88 while batting .312 with 26 homers this year--has already seen the Royals unload teammates Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye and Rey Sanchez in economically motivated decisions, and there has been speculation that Sweeney could be next.

“It’s part of the game, but it’s tough emotionally,” he said. “For us to win, we have to start keeping people instead of getting rid of them. I mean, you think about the future and your vision’s a little clouded, but I’m not the general manager and I don’t feel I have the right to point fingers or blast somebody. All I can do is play hard, see what happens with the extension. I can’t be a free agent for another year yet, and I tend to lead my life like it’s a tandem bike. I jump on the back and pedal as hard as I can while God is on the front seat establishing the direction.”

Sometimes the course isn’t entirely heavenly. Sweeney was recently suspended for 10 games when he uncharacteristically charged Detroit Tiger pitcher Jeff Weaver on the mound because Weaver had been taunting him. Then again, it was a show of emotion sometimes missing in Anaheim.

The Angels, of course, would have to trade for Sweeney and might not have the depth. However, the Royals accepted prospect-heavy packages for Damon, Dye and Sanchez, might do the same to dump that $8 million Sweeney is owed next year, and the Angels have developed some pitching resources at their lower levels that might intrigue the Royals.

While it’s true that the Angels have often mortgaged their future in the false belief that they were only one player away from a title, the thinking here now is that they need more than the one player who is returning, that simply counting on Mo isn’t enough.

The Angels, for one thing, have outscored only the Tampa Bay Devil Rays among the 14 American League teams. Can anyone really be sure of how Vaughn will respond after a year off or if Salmon and Erstad, shaking the ailments that contributed to their 2001 struggles and having Mo in the lineup again, will regain their groove?

Sweeney would help take the onus off Salmon and Erstad, ease Vaughn’s return and give the Angels that one more run producer in a lineup that gets little power from the catcher or middle infielders and, this year, saw only Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus supply a measure of consistent power.

In addition, Sweeney would allow the Angels to employ Vaughn in the designated hitter role, removing the revolving door at that position, while elevating the offense to a level where the search for a pitcher would be less imperative.

Manager Mike Scioscia wouldn’t discuss Sweeney specifically but didn’t seem to buy the theory that one more hitter--in addition to Vaughn--is needed.

He acknowledged disappointment with an offense that he frequently predicted would improve but said the second-half emergence of Scott Spiezio made him a “definite candidate for that extra bat” and that he couldn’t conceive of Salmon and Erstad not regaining their familiar form when 100% sound.

“They had pretty good years without Mo, so I don’t think their success is contingent on his return,” Scioscia said. “However, Mo is the type of hitter who makes everyone around him better. There aren’t many hitters like that, so I can’t imagine him not having a positive impact, especially on those two guys.”

Scioscia added that he simply didn’t know if the Angels had the necessary depth to trade for a hitter of Sweeney’s stature, though he didn’t mention Sweeney by name. Nor did he specify if he was talking about depth in players or depth in available Disney cash.