Kotchman Likely Set for Triple A

No Angel has had a better spring than Casey Kotchman, the 22-year-old first baseman who is hitting .359 with a team-high 16 runs batted in, but when the final 25-man roster is set this weekend, Kotchman probably won’t be on it.

With Darin Erstad entrenched at first base, and Jeff DaVanon and Juan Rivera sharing the designated-hitter spot, there would be little playing time for Kotchman, and with Dallas McPherson opening on a minor league rehabilitation assignment, the Angels will need late-game defensive coverage for third baseman Robb Quinlan.

That’s why the slick-fielding Maicer Izturis, who can play second, shortstop and third, appears to be a lock to make the team, along with utility player Lou Merloni, who can play all four infield spots and provides a solid right-handed bat off the bench. The speedy Izturis can also contribute as a pinch-runner.

Kotchman is an excellent first baseman but plays only one position, and isn’t much of a runner, so he wouldn’t provide much versatility.

The Angels would prefer that Kotchman, considered the top prospect in the organization, play every day at triple-A Salt Lake.

Kotchman singled in the Angels’ Cactus League finale Thursday, a 4-2 loss to Milwaukee.

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Angel ace Bartolo Colon finished strong in 2004, going 12-4 with a 3.63 earned-run average after the All-Star break, but it was his first-half performance, when he went 6-8 with a 6.38 ERA, that motivated him this winter to begin running the hills around his home in the Dominican Republic.

The dedication appears to have paid off. The 5 foot 11, 260-pound Colon didn’t drop much weight but reduced his body fat and increased his leg strength. In his final tune-up before Tuesday night’s season-opening start against Texas, Colon gave up one run and three hits in five innings against the Brewers and finished with a 2.21 ERA in 20 1/3 spring innings.

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Reliever Bret Prinz looked sharp in his Angel debut, giving up one hit and striking out three in two scoreless innings. The right-hander’s fastball hit 94 mph, and he threw a few nice sliders.... The Angels, who lost when Chad Moeller hit a three-run homer off Jake Woods in the bottom of the ninth, finished with the best record in the Cactus League, 18-11.