Erstad Fills the Post of Energy Secretary

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- National analysts ridiculed the Angels last August, when they awarded a four-year, $32-million contract extension to Darin Erstad, their center fielder and team leader. The analysts argued that no player who hit .283 with 10 home runs, as Erstad did last season, could possibly be that valuable.

But Erstad hit .352 in the playoffs, won a Gold Glove and rallied his teammates with a rousing pep talk after the Angels lost Game 5 of the World Series, pushing them to the brink of elimination. It is impossible to put a monetary value on leadership, but it is a quality the Angels cherish in Erstad, and it is a responsibility he takes seriously.

“I don’t go out of my way to say stuff,” he said, “But if I think the energy level is low, I’ll do something. You have to stay away from the lulls where you feel like you’re going through the motions -- say, if there is a day game after a night game and off day the next day.

“So I’ll do something to spark something. It could be sprints around the clubhouse. It could WWF wrestling. It could be posting somebody up in the corner of the clubhouse.”

The leadership burden carries greater weight this season, with the Angels carrying the burden of expectations. When the bad times come, some Angels might have to fight the tendency to abandon the team-first style that demands players make an out to advance a runner while trusting teammates to drive in the run.

“I’ll do what I have to do,” Erstad said. “I can’t sit here and say what will happen. But I started to really define what makes me happy in this game.

“What makes me happy is seeing happiness on guys’ faces, seeing camaraderie, and not having cliques on this team. That takes away from the individual stuff, and this game can get pretty individual. If you’re struggling and you’re all still together, that’s a great feeling.”

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First baseman Scott Spiezio wasn’t supposed to start against left-handers last season, but Shawn Wooten tore up his thumb during spring training. By the time Wooten returned in July, Spiezio had hit well enough to win the everyday job. He hit .368 against left-handers last season, second-best in the league.

Before last season, however, his career average against left-handers was .241. Manager Mike Scioscia insists the Angels are not simply guessing that Spiezio has solved left-handers.

“I don’t think you have to guess,” Scioscia said. “The performance will tell you where a guy is. The depth of the club gives us options.”

Wooten and Benji Gil can start at first base against left-handers. Robb Quinlan, the Pacific Coast League most valuable player as an outfielder at triple-A Salt Lake last season, will split time between first base and the outfield at Salt Lake this season.

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John Lackey, the leading candidate to start opening night, pitched four rocky innings against Oakland’s triple-A team Saturday, giving up six runs and eight hits while walking five.... Mickey Callaway started for the varsity against the Texas Rangers, giving up four runs in 4 1/3 innings. The Angels lost, 4-1, but designated hitter Brad Fullmer homered, doubled and singled.... Scioscia said that second baseman Adam Kennedy, batting .184 “is definitely pressing.”